Published on: 2026-07-16
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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Beijing, July 16 /Xinhua/ — In the first half of 2026, electricity consumption in China increased by 5.3 percent compared to the same period last year, which, according to official data released on Wednesday, was primarily driven by growth in sectors such as internet data transmission services, electric vehicle charging, and high-tech manufacturing.
According to data from the National Energy Administration of China, electricity consumption in the country approached 5.1 trillion kWh in January-June.
Among the three main sectors of the economy, the highest growth rate in electricity consumption was recorded in the tertiary sector – 8 percent, reaching 991.6 billion kWh.
Notably, in the data transmission services sector over the internet, electricity consumption increased by 44 percent year-on-year to 49.4 billion kWh. In turn, in the electric vehicle charging and battery replacement sector, a growth of 56.9 percent was recorded, reaching 81 billion kWh.
At the same time, the rapid growth in electricity consumption since the beginning of 2026 continues in emerging sectors of the economy, noted expert Wu Lixiang from the China Electricity Council. According to him, the volume of electricity consumption in the data transmission services sector via the internet has virtually approached the figure for the entire year of 2024.
The boom in the application of artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important factor determining electricity demand. It is estimated that creating a five-second high-resolution video using AI requires as much electricity as fully charging 10 smartphones.
Electricity consumption in the high-tech and equipment manufacturing sector increased by 9.8 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2026 to 600.8 billion kWh, accounting for 24.3 percent of the total electricity consumption in the manufacturing industry, added Wu Lixiang. -0-
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