China’s Power Consumption Exceeds 10 TWh in August, Peak Load Hits Record High
Time:2026-09-20 15:31:10 Source:
China’s total electricity consumption reached 1,033.2 TWh in August, exceeding the 1,000 TWh mark for the second consecutive month and rising 1.7% year on year, according to data released by the National Energy Administration (NEA) on September 20.
The country’s peak power load also hit a new record of 1.56 TW, up 49.69 GW from last year’s peak. Daily power load exceeded the previous annual peak on seven days during the month.
Industrial Demand Remains Firm
By sector, August electricity consumption was:
Primary industry: 16.9 TWh, up 2.7% YoY
Secondary industry: 612.4 TWh, up 2.4%
Industrial use reached 606.5 TWh, up 2.7%
High-tech and equipment manufacturing use reached 122.2 TWh, up 7.2%
Tertiary industry: 215.5 TWh, up 5.1%
Residential use: 188.3 TWh, down 4.0%
Within high-tech and equipment manufacturing, electricity consumption grew particularly quickly in computer and communications equipment manufacturing (+7.5%), automotive manufacturing (+7.6%), general equipment manufacturing (+7.6%), specialized equipment manufacturing (+8.2%), and electrical machinery manufacturing (+12.3%). Electricity use by new-energy vehicle manufacturing increased 22.2%.
Electricity demand from the service sector also remained strong. EV charging and battery-swapping services consumed 17.2 TWh, up 51.2%, while internet and data services consumed 10.2 TWh, up 37.9%.
Residential electricity consumption fell 4.0% YoY, which the NEA attributed mainly to more frequent typhoons and heavy rainfall in August 2026 than in August 2025, reducing air-conditioning demand.
January-August Power Consumption
During the first eight months of 2026, China’s total electricity consumption reached 7,173.0 TWh, up 4.3% YoY.
By sector:
Primary industry: 104.6 TWh, up 3.3%
Secondary industry: 4,529.7 TWh, up 4.4%
Industrial use: 4,488.0 TWh, up 4.6%
High-tech and equipment manufacturing: 845.1 TWh, up 9.3%
Tertiary industry: 1,425.6 TWh, up 7.1%
EV charging and battery-swapping services: 114.7 TWh, up 55.1%
Internet and data services: 69.5 TWh, up 42.5%
Residential use: 1,113.2 TWh, up 0.3%
Overall, the data show that industrial electricity demand continued to expand steadily in August, while high-tech manufacturing and electricity-intensive digital and EV-related services maintained much faster growth. At the same time, the decline in residential consumption partly reflected weather conditions rather than a broad-based weakening in electricity demand.
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