China's power use up 4.4 pct in Jan-Aug

BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, posted steady growth in the first eight months, official data showed on Thursday.

Power use went up 4.4 percent, year on year, between January and August to 5.78 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh), said the National Energy Administration.

Power consumed by the primary industry increased by 11 percent year on year. Electricity used by the secondary and tertiary industries climbed 1.4 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively. Residents' power consumption saw a year-on-year increase of 15.8 percent.

In August alone, power consumption hit 852 billion kWh, an increase of 10.7 percent from a year ago. Electricity use in the primary sector rose 14.5 percent, while electricity used by the secondary and tertiary sectors gained 3.6 percent and 15 percent, respectively.