China's power use rises 7.5% in Jan - Nov

BEIJING - China's electricity consumption grew 7.5 percent year on year to 4.83 trillion kilowatt hours (kwh) between January and November, according to the China Electricity Council (CEC).

Use by primary industry totaled 93.5 billion kwhs, up 0.1 percent year on year. Secondary industry absorbed 3.54 trillion kwh, or 73.3 percent of the total, up 6.8 percent.

Tertiary industry took 11.8 percent of the total consumption, or 573.1 billion kwh, up 10.8 percent.

Home use stood at 625.4 billion kwh, up 9.4 percent from a year earlier.

Consumption in November alone was 448.5 billion kwh, up 8.5 percent year on year, as against growth in October of 9.5 percent and 10.4 percent in September, according to CEC.

Last month, the four power guzzling heavy industries -- chemicals, construction materials, iron and steel and nonferrous metals -- which account for nearly one third of China's total power consumption, used 7.9 percent more year on year taking 146.3 billion kwh. In the first 11 months, these four sectors consumed a total of 1.5 trillion kwh, up 5.8 percent.

CEC figures also revealed that during the period, the average utilization hours of wind turbines reached 1,889 hours in the first 11 months, jumping 157 hours from the same period last year.