The National Energy Administration announced on January 20 that China’s total electricity consumption in 2024 reached 9,852.1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), representing a 6.8% year-on-year increase.
Source: Securities Daily
The National Energy Administration announced on January 20 that China’s total electricity consumption in 2024 reached 9,852.1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), representing a 6.8% year-on-year increase. Of this, large-scale industrial electricity generation contributed 9,418.1 billion kWh. Breaking down electricity usage by sector, the primary industry consumed 135.7 billion kWh, up 6.3% from the previous year. The secondary industry accounted for 6,387.4 billion kWh, a growth of 5.1%. The tertiary industry showed robust growth, consuming 1,834.8 billion kWh, an increase of 9.9%. Meanwhile, residential electricity consumption in urban and rural areas reached 1,494.2 billion kWh, up by 10.6%.
Wu Liqiang, Director of the Power Supply and Demand Analysis Office at the China Electricity Council, noted that the 6.8% increase in electricity consumption was 0.1 percentage points higher than in 2023. This growth was largely driven by economic stability supported by a series of incremental policies under the “Two New” initiatives, which stimulated electricity demand.
In terms of contribution to total growth, the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, along with residential usage, added 0.1, 3.4, 1.8, and 1.5 percentage points, respectively. Their respective shares in total electricity consumption growth were 1.3%, 49.7%, 26.3%, and 22.7%. Within the secondary industry, electricity consumption by the manufacturing sector reached 4.79 trillion kWh, growing by 5.1% year-on-year. High-tech and equipment manufacturing saw particularly strong growth, with electricity usage rising by 10.3%, significantly outpacing the sector's overall growth rate and highlighting ongoing industrial transformation and upgrading.
Regionally, all provinces reported positive growth in total electricity consumption. Growth rates were 6.8% in eastern China, 6.9% in central China, 7.5% in western China, and 2.5% in northeastern China.