Since the beginning of summer, China's daily electricity generation has reached new highs, and social electricity consumption, seen as a "barometer" of economic activity, has also risen vigorously, reflecting the strong momentum of China's economic recovery.

(Photo/Xinhua)

National daily electricity generation rose rapidly in August, reaching a new high. According to the National Development and Reform Commission, as of Aug.17, the country's daily electricity generation reached 24.6 billion kilowatt hours, 686 million kilowatt hours higher than last year's peak.

Initial analysis shows that daily electricity generation and unified dispatch load of electricity consumption across the country have reached new highs, driven by continuing high temperatures, leading to rapid growth in air conditioning loads, and at the same time reflecting the continuing steady recovery of the national economy, said Meng Wei, a spokeswoman for the National Development and Reform Commission.

The steady recovery in traditional manufacturing is directly reflected in electricity demand. According to data from China Southern Power Grid, from January to July, electricity consumption in the manufacturing industry in the five southern provinces increased by 1.0 percent year on year, 2.3 percentage points faster than in the first half of the year, turning the growth rate from negative to positive.

Within this sector, electricity consumption in the high-tech and equipment manufacturing industry, which is closely related to "new infrastructure", rebounded strongly, growing by 6.8 percent, 10.7 percent and 10.8 percent respectively in May, June and July compared with the same period last year, leading industrial growth for three consecutive months.

In addition, the growth rate of electricity consumption in most consumer goods manufacturing industries has changed from negative to positive, demonstrating a steady recovery in domestic power consumption.

According to Yang Jing of the energy research institute under the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, electricity consumption in the consumer goods manufacturing industry increased by 46.1 percent in the second quarter from the previous quarter, down 1.3 percent from the same period last year, or 18.6 percentage points lower than in the first quarter.

Among them, electricity consumption in the consumer goods manufacturing industry saw positive growth in June, up 1.9 percent from the same period last year, while electricity consumption in other industries rebounded sharply, some even seeing double-digit growth rates.

For example, electricity consumption in the food, beverage, furniture and tobacco manufacturing industries, which are mainly based on the domestic market, increased by 18.1 percent, 10.0 percent, 10.0 percent and 8.2 percent respectively compared with the same period last year.