China's Monthly Power Consumption Tops One Trillion Kilowatt-Hours in July

China's total electricity consumption reached 1,040 billion kilowatt-hours in July, an increase of 1.7% year on year and an all-time monthly high, according to data released by the National Energy Administration. While overall monthly growth was modest, the tertiary sector expanded by 4.8%, led by rapid surges in electric vehicle charging and swapping services (up 50.3%) and internet data services (up 40.1%). Over the first seven months of the year, cumulative power use reached 6,139.9 billion kilowatt-hours, rising 4.7% compared with the same period last year.

Power consumption serves as a key barometer of macroeconomic activity and structural economic transitions. The sharp rise in power use by digital infrastructure and vehicle charging networks illustrates how transport electrification and data processing are becoming major drivers of structural power demand in China, even as household usage fluctuates with seasonal temperatures.

China's total electricity consumption reached 1,040 billion kilowatt-hours in July, rising 1.7% year on year to set an all-time monthly record, according to data released by the National Energy Administration on August 21. The figure surpassed the 1-trillion-kilowatt-hour threshold first crossed in July 2025, adding 17.45 billion kilowatt-hours over the previous year's level. Sectoral breakdowns showed distinct variations across industries. Primary industry power consumption stood at 16.7 billion kilowatt-hours, down 2% year on year. Secondary industry power use reached 611.6 billion kilowatt-hours, up 3%, within which industrial power consumption grew 3.3% to 605.5 billion kilowatt-hours. The tertiary industry recorded consumption of 218.3 billion kilowatt-hours, expanding 4.8% year on year. In contrast, urban and rural residential electricity consumption fell 5.1% to 193.5 billion kilowatt-hours. Within the tertiary sector, emerging high-tech infrastructure drove the vast majority of growth. Electricity consumption by electric vehicle charging and battery-swapping services jumped 50.3% year on year to 16.4 billion kilowatt-hours, while internet data services power consumption rose 40.1% to 9.9 billion kilowatt-hours. Wu Liqiang, assistant director of the statistics and digital intelligence department at the China Electricity Council, stated that the tertiary sector posted the fastest growth among all industries during the month, with new growth drivers maintaining rapid expansion. Wu noted that combined incremental electricity consumption from internet data services and charging services accounted for over 80% of the total increase in tertiary sector power consumption in July. For the January–July period, cumulative nationwide power consumption reached 6,139.9 billion kilowatt-hours, representing a 4.7% increase year on year. Over the seven-month span, primary industry consumption grew 3.5% to 87.7 billion kilowatt-hours, secondary industry consumption rose 4.7% to 3,917.3 billion kilowatt-hours, and tertiary industry consumption increased 7.4% to 1,210.0 billion kilowatt-hours. Charging and battery-swapping services consumed 97.4 billion kilowatt-hours (up 55.8%), while internet data services used 59.3 billion kilowatt-hours (up 43.3%). Residential power use rose 1.3% to 924.9 billion kilowatt-hours.