China's national power consumption registered an 8.1 percent year-on-year increase in the first half of 2024, driven by rapid growth in the high-tech and equipment manufacturing sectors, while energy-intensive industries such as steel-making and construction saw relatively lower levels of power consumption.
In Yichun City of east China's Jiangxi Province, a production plant engaged in new materials production has continued operating as orders have steadily increased since the second quarter.
"The increase in power consumption is due to the adoption of high-power equipment with a relatively high level of automation operation featuring production 24 hours a day all year round," said Sheng Chenfeng, manager of the new materials company.
In Luoyang City of central China's Henan Province, a glass company has transformed itself into a new materials company, shifting from producing low-value glass to advanced glass extensively used in the electronic information industry.
"One ton of the original float glass would be sold for only 2,000 yuan (about U.S. 278.50 dollars). Now, the glass for the electronics industry is valued at 13,000 yuan (about 1,810 U.S. dollars), six times the previous value," said Wu Jingtao, manager of the Department of Production and Management at the glass company.
Divided by industries, energy consumption in the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors continued to grow in the six-month period.
The primary industry's electricity consumption reached 62.3 billion kilowatt-hours (KWH), an 8.8 percent year-on-year increase, reflecting the ongoing acceleration of agricultural modernization.
The secondary industry, as the major consumer, saw electricity consumption reach 3.07 trillion KWHs in the January-June period, a 6.9 percent year-on-year increase. Notably, electricity consumption in the high-tech and equipment manufacturing sector grew by 13.1 percent year-on-year. The tertiary industry's electricity consumption increased by 11.7 percent year-on-year, continuing its rapid growth trend.
"As far as the whole of China is concerned, the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry is evident in the slow growth of energy consumption in power-intensive industries such as steel-making and construction, while power consumption in high-tech and equipment manufacturing has seen rapid growth," said Zhai Dawei, deputy director general of the Price Certification Center at the National Development and Reform Commission.
China's power consumption up 8.1 percent in January-June, fueled by manufacturing transformation
