Data released by the National Energy Administration on September 20 shows that China’s total electricity consumption in August 2026 exceeded 100 million kilowatt-hours for the second consecutive month, reaching 103.32 billion kilowatt-hours, up 1.7% year-on-year. Peak power demand hit a new historical record of 1.56 billion kilowatts, 49.69 million kilowatts higher than the previous year’s peak, with 7 days exceeding the prior year’s maximum load.
From the perspective of electricity consumption by sector, the primary industry consumed 16.9 billion kilowatt-hours, up 2.7% year-on-year. The secondary industry consumed 612.4 billion kilowatt-hours, up 2.4%; of which, the manufacturing industry consumed 606.5 billion kilowatt-hours, up 2.7%, with the high-tech and equipment manufacturing sector maintaining relatively fast growth at 122.2 billion kilowatt-hours, up 7.2%. Computer and communications equipment (7.5%), automobile manufacturing (7.6%, of which new energy vehicle整车 22.2%), general equipment manufacturing (7.6%), special equipment manufacturing (8.2%), and electrical machinery (12.3%) all saw relatively fast electricity consumption growth. The tertiary industry consumed 215.5 billion kilowatt-hours, up 5.1%; among which, charging and swapping services and internet data services showed strong growth, at 17.2 billion and 10.2 billion kilowatt-hours respectively, with growth rates of 51.2% and 37.9%. Residential electricity consumption stood at 188.3 billion kilowatt-hours, down 4.0% year-on-year. The decline was primarily due to increased typhoons and heavy rainfall in August 2026 compared to August 2025, which significantly reduced air conditioning electricity usage.
From January to August, cumulative total electricity consumption reached 717.3 billion kilowatt-hours, up 4.3% year-on-year. In terms of sectoral breakdown, the primary industry consumed 104.6 billion kilowatt-hours, up 3.3%. The secondary industry consumed 452.97 billion kilowatt-hours, up 4.4%; of which, the manufacturing industry consumed 448.8 billion kilowatt-hours, up 4.6%, with high-tech and equipment manufacturing reaching 845.1 billion kilowatt-hours, up 9.3%. The tertiary industry consumed 142.56 billion kilowatt-hours, up 7.1%; of which, charging and swapping services and internet data services consumed 114.7 billion and 69.5 billion kilowatt-hours respectively, with growth rates of 55.1% and 42.5%. Residential electricity consumption was 111.32 billion kilowatt-hours, up 0.3% year-on-year.