BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- China's electricity consumption increased by 5.3 percent in the first half of the year, driven by strong growth in internet data services, electric vehicle charging and high-tech manufacturing, official data showed on Wednesday.
Total power consumption reached nearly 5.1 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in the January-June period, according to data released by the National Energy Administration.
Power consumption in the tertiary sector rose 8 percent to 991.6 billion kWh, the fastest growth among the three major sectors of the economy.
Electricity use by internet data services surged 44 percent from a year earlier to 49.4 billion kWh, while consumption by electric vehicle charging and battery-swapping services soared by 56.9 percent to 81 billion kWh in the first half of 2026.
Wu Liqiang, an official with the China Electricity Council, said electricity demand from emerging industries continued to grow rapidly, with power consumption by internet data services in the first six months nearing the level recorded for the whole of 2024.
This boom in AI applications has become an increasingly important driver of electricity demand. Industry estimates show that generating a five-second AI-produced high-definition video can consume as much electricity as fully charging 10 smartphones.
Electricity consumption by China's high-tech and equipment manufacturing sector climbed 9.8 percent year on year to 600.8 billion kWh in the first half of 2026, accounting for 24.3 percent of manufacturing power use, Wu added. ■
