Power grid at full throttle reflects strong momentum of China's economy

The government work report states that the conditions underpinning China's long-term growth and its underlying trend remain unchanged. More and more, China is demonstrating the strengths of its system and the strengths it has as a big country.

Electricity consumption provides a window into observing China's economy.

In 2025, China's electricity consumption exceeded 10 trillion kilowatt-hours for the first time, surpassing the combined electricity usage of the US, Germany, Japan, and India. During this year's Spring Festival holiday, emerging industries in Jiangsu Province such as aerospace, electronic information, and new energy vehicles achieved double-digit growth in daily average electricity consumption; in Zhejiang Province, more than 4,700 industrial enterprises maintained daily average electricity consumption at over 80 percent of normal weekday levels; in Hainan Province, the tourism market was booming, with the tertiary sector's daily average electricity consumption growing by 17.3 percent... Full power demonstrates the strong momentum of China's economy.

Pursuing the new and green

At present, Weihai Dishang Kenny Fashion Co, Ltd. is swamped with orders. In the production workshop, cutting machines precisely slice fabrics, automated guided vehicles transport materials across floors, and intelligent hanging systems assist workers in sewing.

"Since resuming work after the Spring Festival, the electricity load has been running high, with electricity consumption increasing by about 15 percent year-on-year," said Zhu Lihua, Party secretary and chairman of the Dishang Kenny Fashion company, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC).

NPC deputies and members of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) believe that traditional industries are accelerating toward "excellence," emerging industries are pursuing the "new" in search of "quality," and the pace of "green" transformation remains steady. These developments in new quality productive forces are vigorously driving up production electricity demand. For example, data from State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power shows that during the Spring Festival holiday, the daily average electricity consumption of Zhejiang's "new trio" industries - new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products - grew by 44.1 percent year-on-year.

Twisting, stretching, waving arms... At the manufacturing delivery center of EFORT Intelligent Robot Co, Ltd. in Wuhu, Anhui Province, industrial robots are undergoing final testing before "taking up their posts." "Production volume this first quarter is expected to grow by 30 percent year-on-year, and we were fully rushing deliveries even during the Spring Festival," said Zhang Wei, deputy general manager of the company. With increasing demand for heavy-duty robots, the company is preparing to add another production line. Data from State Grid Anhui Electric Power shows that from January to February, electricity consumption by robot manufacturing-related enterprises in Anhui grew by 26.15 percent year-on-year.

Xu Lijin, chairman of Wuhu Robot Industry Development Group and a CPPCC member, believes that as intelligence levels improve and application boundaries expand, the robotics industry is becoming an important growth pole in high-end equipment manufacturing. "The output value of six major emerging industries — integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, low-altitude economy, new energy storage, and intelligent robots — is expected to reach new heights by 2030, and these industries will become key engines driving electricity consumption growth."。

In 2025, electricity consumption in China's high-tech and equipment manufacturing sectors grew by 6.4 percent year-on-year, 3 percentage points higher than the average growth rate of the manufacturing sector during the same period.

E-commerce, cultural tourism stimulate surge in electricity consumption

As night falls, maker street area in Lizu village in Yiwu, Zhejiang, is brightly lit. Here, in live-streaming rooms, consumers are busy placing orders. In the "Desert Dyeing Workshop" live room, the host demonstrates tie-dye techniques to the camera, with orders for craft products shipping nationwide; in the "Lizu Agricultural Innovation Good Stuff" live room, leveraging the concentration of makers and agricultural specialty products, it has transformed into a rural version of a small commodities city. Over there, express delivery companies are busy dispatching packages. At an express sorting center in Yiwu, lights remain bright deep into the night. During the Spring Festival holiday, Yiwu's express delivery industry operated "non-stop," with items dispatched nationwide. On February 26, Yiwu completed a record-high single-day express business volume of 56.3 million pieces.

"As consumer preferences become more personalized and quality-oriented, new consumption models such as live-streaming sales have developed rapidly. International trade and rural cultural tourism converge here, and the village has enjoyed the dividends of development," said Fang Haolong, Party branch secretary of Lizu village and an NPC deputy.

Chen Anwei, chairman of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd., and an NPC deputy, stated that in the first week after the Spring Festival, Zhejiang's electricity use by the internet and related services hit 112 million kilowatt-hours, posting double-digit growth. Electricity use in courier services grew by 5.2 percent, while consumption in information transmission, software, and IT services increased by 11.9 percent, maintaining high operational levels. "The rising electricity data reflects the robust momentum of Zhejiang's industrial chain in new consumption."

According to the Xinhua News Agency, new consumption - characterized by new technology-driven consumer behaviors and consumption methods — has become a significant force in meeting the diverse needs of the Chinese people.

In Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, the Xinjiekou business district is bustling with crowds. In the smart home appliance experience zone of Deji Plaza, consumers try out energy-efficient air conditioners and smart home systems. The full-throttle heat of cultural tourism is reflected in the electricity "barometer." Data from State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power shows that during the Spring Festival holiday, daily electricity consumption at comprehensive retail malls like Deji Plaza in the Xinjiekou district increased by over 10 percent year-on-year.

"Consumption trends are changing, with experiential and scenario-based consumption gaining popularity. The integration of culture, tourism, performances, catering, and other sectors is accelerating, and new consumption scenarios keep emerging. This has not only boosted consumer enthusiasm, but also driven the development of related industries," said Liu Cong, chairman of the Jiangsu Federation of Industry and Commerce and a CPPCC member.

Data, intelligence, and computing power drive an AI electricity boom

"Guizhou enjoys the dual advantages of being a hub for the China's west-to-east power transmission program and "East Data, West Computing" project. Electricity consumption by data centers in Gui'an New Area surged 51.6 percent year-on-year in January and February," said Zhou Jingyu, deputy head of the substation intelligent operation team of China Southern Power Grid Guizhou Tongren Power Supply Bureau and an NPC deputy.

Zhou noted that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the China Southern Power Grid will push forward key projects, including centralized green power supply and full DC power supply, and explore new models of coordinated development of computing and power.

Behind artificial intelligence is computing power, and behind computing power is electricity, said an official from the China Electricity Council. China has made remarkable progress in building new-type infrastructure such as artificial intelligence and 5G networks, which has greatly boosted electricity consumption in related sectors. From 2021 to 2025, electricity use for internet data services grew at an average annual rate of 35.9 percent, the official introduced.

In Kaixiangong village in Suzhou, Jiangsu, a 10-minute charging circle in the village and a 3-minute circle in the scenic area offer tourists convenient access to charging facilities. By the end of December 2025, the number of EV charging facilities in China had exceeded 20 million, and is planned to reach 28 million by the end of 2027.

Strong investment in charging infrastructure drove a nearly 50 percent year-on-year increase in electricity consumption by China's charging and swapping industry in 2025.

He Guanghua, director of the cable inspection and maintenance center of State Grid Wuxi Power Supply Company and an NPC deputy, said: "The rapid growth of NEV ownership has prompted local governments to speed up the construction of charging infrastructure. This not only solves the energy replenishment problem for travel, but also boosts consumption scenarios such as self-driving tours and rural tourism."

According to plans, State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power aims to build 4,500 new charging ports in 2026, further strengthening the charging network along highways and in urban and rural areas.

Looking back, China became the world's largest power producer in terms of installed power generation capacity and output in 2011, with per capita electricity use exceeding the global average. It fully solved the power supply problem for people without electricity in 2015, and achieved "power access for all villages" in 2020. In 2025, its total social electricity use surpassed 10 trillion kilowatt-hours. Meanwhile, China has established the world's largest clean power supply system, with an average power supply reliability rate of over 99.9 percent.

Behind the full-power electricity supply lies the backbone that sustains the happy hum of daily life, filling every home, and mirrors the big family of China going from strength to strength.

The article was first published on Page 6 of the People's Daily on March 8, 2026.