Published: 15:26, January 18, 2022 | Updated: 15:37, January 18, 2022
China's power use surges 10.3% in 2021
By Xinhua

State Grid employees undertake maintenance work on a tower in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, in April 2021. (WANG HUABIN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

BEIJING - China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, went up 10.3 percent year-on-year in 2021, as the country's economy ended the year with a strong rebound despite sporadic epidemic resurgences.

Power consumed by the primary, secondary and tertiary industries climbed 16.4 percent, 9.1 percent and 17.8 percent year-on-year, respectively, the National Energy Administration said

Total power use in China reached 8.31 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2021, data from the National Energy Administration (NEA) showed. The figure represents a 14.7 percent growth from 2019, putting the average growth for the past two years at 7.1 percent.

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Specifically, power consumed by the primary, secondary and tertiary industries climbed 16.4 percent, 9.1 percent and 17.8 percent year-on-year, respectively, the NEA said.

Residential power consumption saw a 7.3-percent year-on-year increase to 1.17 trillion kWh in 2021, NEA data showed.

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The country's gross domestic product expanded 8.1 percent year-on-year to 114.37 trillion yuan ($18 trillion) last year.