Electricity use soars in July

China's total electricity consumption soared to a record of 1.04 trillion kilowatt-hours in July, fueled by robust demand from high-tech manufacturing, internet data services and the electric vehicle sector.

According to latest data from the National Energy Administration, the country's cumulative installed power generation capacity reached 4.08 billion kilowatts by end-July, representing a robust 11 percent year-on-year rise.

The rapid expansion of renewable energy continues to headline the sector's growth. Solar power capacity grew 16.1 percent to 1.29 billion kW, while wind power capacity surged 19.5 percent to 690 million kW.

Experts said that the nation's new economic drivers are rapidly transitioning from being mere "marginal increments" to the "core increments" of power demand, and that this ongoing evolution highlights the deepening integration of the digital and real economies, underpinned by accelerating industrial upgrades and a resilient green energy transition.

The NEA said the most significant structural shifts are currently unfolding within the secondary and tertiary sectors.

Wu Liqiang, assistant to the director of the statistics and data center at the China Electricity Council, highlighted that electricity usage in high-tech and equipment manufacturing jumped 8.9 percent, contributing a massive 55.8 percent to the secondary sector's overall power growth.

Specifically, the electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing subsector — alongside computers, communications and other electronic equipment manufacturing — maintained rapid expansion, said Wu, adding that together, these two industries contributed 33 percent to the nation's total power consumption increment in July, while by contrast, growth across the four major energy-intensive industries remained sluggish.

Meanwhile, the tertiary sector recorded the fastest growth among all industries, climbing 4.8 percent year-on-year in July. This was heavily bolstered by a 50.3 percent surge in the EV charging and battery-swapping services sector, as well as a 40.1 percent increase in internet data services.

These two emerging business models accounted for over 80 percent of the tertiary sector's power consumption increment in July, Wu added.

On the supply side, China's power structure continues its historic green transformation.

By end-June, total installed capacity hit 4.04 billion kW, making China the first country to surpass the 4-billion-kW milestone. Solar power has now tied with coal as the country's top power source, while nonfossil energy accounts for 62.4 percent of total capacity.

Notably, coal-fired power generation dropped below 49.7 percent of the total for the first time in the first half of the year, cementing a clean energy-dominated paradigm.

Corporate performances reflect this shift. In the first half, China Energy Investment Corp (CHN Energy) generated nearly 600 billion kWh, with its total capacity surpassing 400 million kW. Meanwhile, China Huaneng Group reported record profits, with its clean energy capacity share rising to 58.46 percent.

To support this massive renewables rollout, grid infrastructure investments are rapidly accelerating. National grid investment reached 302.7 billion yuan ($44.89 billion) in the first half, up 4.0 percent year-on-year. State Grid Corp of China completed over 310 billion yuan in fixed-asset investment, facilitating 3.48 trillion kWh of marketized electricity trading and providing critical support for cross-regional power sharing and new energy consumption.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn