China's power use picks up in August

BEIJING -- China's power-use expansion quickened in August due to the scorching summer heat and a low base last year, official data showed Wednesday.

A total of 563.1 billion kilowatt hours of electricity was consumed last month, up 8.3 percent year on year, according the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The growth accelerated from 1.9 percent a year ago and 8.2 percent in July.

Besides the low base, the uptick was also attributable to the summer heat wave, NDRC official Zhao Chenxin said during a press conference.

China saw an average temperature of 21.8 degrees centigrade this summer, the highest since 1961, which increased the electricity demands of residents and the service sector.

In the first eight months, power use expanded 4.2 percent year on year, in contrast with a less-than-1-percent increase a year ago. Agriculture, secondary industry and the service sector all used much more electricity. Residential power consumption also grew rapidly.

Electricity generated from clean energy, such as hydropower and nuclear power, jumped during the same period, but thermal power generation shrank slightly.

The faster growth in power use was an encouraging economic sign.