China’s Electricity Consumption Up 4.7% in 7 Months

China’s total electricity consumption reached 6,139.9 billion kWh in the first seven months of 2026, up 4.7% year-on-year, according to data released by the National Energy Administration on August 21. The figures, published via the agency’s official channels and reported by Xinhua News, reflect continued economic activity across China’s industrial and services sectors.

Sector Breakdown Reveals Structural Shifts

The data shows distinct growth patterns across economic sectors. Secondary industry—encompassing manufacturing and construction—consumed 3,917.3 billion kWh, up 4.7%, with industrial electricity use rising 4.9% to 3,881.5 billion kWh. Tertiary industry consumption grew faster at 7.4%, reaching 1,210 billion kWh, while primary industry rose 3.5% and residential consumption increased a modest 1.3%.

Within the industrial sector, high-tech and equipment manufacturing emerged as the standout performer, with electricity consumption surging 9.7% to 722.8 billion kWh—nearly double the overall industrial growth rate. This reflects China’s ongoing structural transformation toward higher value-added manufacturing, a trend corroborated by broader economic data showing high-tech manufacturing value-added growing 16.9% in July alone, as Xinhua reported.

Digital Economy and EV Charging Drive Growth

Perhaps the most striking figures come from the digital economy and new energy sectors. Electricity consumption for charging and battery-swapping services jumped 55.8% year-on-year to 97.4 billion kWh, while internet data services consumption rose 43.3% to 59.3 billion kWh. Together, these two sectors contributed 0.8 percentage points to overall electricity consumption growth in the first quarter, according to the National Business Daily.

The explosive growth is driven by rapid EV adoption and the AI boom. New energy passenger vehicle retail penetration exceeded 60% for four consecutive months, reaching 65.1% in July, while daily AI token calls grew from 100 billion in early 2024 to 140 trillion by March 2026—a more than 1,000-fold increase. As 21st Century Business Herald reported, Jiang Debin, deputy director of the Statistics and Digital Intelligence Department at the China Electricity Council, noted that these new business forms are “transitioning from ‘marginal increment’ to ‘core increment’” in driving electricity demand growth.

July Slowdown Reflects Weather and Base Effects

July 2026 saw a notable deceleration, with monthly electricity consumption growing just 1.7% year-on-year to 1,040 billion kWh—a sharp slowdown from the 6.9% growth recorded in May and 3.7% in June. Residential electricity consumption fell 5.1% in July, which the China Electricity Council attributed to cooler-than-normal temperatures across most regions compared to the same period in 2025, reducing cooling demand.

Despite the overall slowdown, industrial electricity consumption continued growing at 3.3% in July, with high-tech and equipment manufacturing maintaining robust growth at 8.9%. Charging and swapping services grew 50.3% and internet data services 40.1% during the month.

Green Transition Accelerates

Electricity consumption data also underscores China’s accelerating energy transition. Non-fossil energy generation capacity reached 25.2 billion kW by end of June, accounting for 62.4% of total installed capacity, according to the China Electricity Council. Solar power installed capacity—12.7 billion kW, or 31.5% of the total—has now caught up with coal power’s share, and coal’s share of total electricity generation fell below 50% for the first time in the first half of 2026.

Notably, China achieved this growth while improving energy efficiency. Energy consumption per unit of value-added for industrial enterprises above designated size declined 3.5% year-on-year in the first seven months, as NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui noted in the Xinhua report.

Outlook

The China Electricity Council forecasts H2 2026 electricity consumption growth of 5-6%, with maximum grid load projected at 1.57-1.63 billion kW. As Bastille Post reported, NEA official Xing Yiteng emphasized that rapid growth in EV charging and internet data services is boosting national electricity consumption. With AI-driven data center demand and EV charging infrastructure expected to remain key growth drivers, the structural shift toward technology-intensive, green industries appears set to continue shaping China’s electricity demand landscape through the remainder of 2026 and beyond.