Electricity consumption to rebound in Q4

China’s demand for electricity may rebound slightly after a successive decline over the first three quarters as the economy warms up, the China Electricity Council said on Tuesday.

Electricity consumption may grow as much as 6 percent in the fourth quarter to 1.25 trillion kWh, according to a report on the CEC’s website.

In the first three quarters, electricity consumption grew 4.8 percent, 7.1 percentage points less than the same period last year. The growth figure has been retreating quarter by quarter as the expansion of the world’s second-largest economy slowed.

The electricity supply and demand have been in balance overall this year because of sufficient hydropower and coal, the CEC said. Although East China may experience some shortage of electricity in the fourth quarter, the Northwest and Northeast will have an adequate supply, it said.

The council estimates that the overall electricity consumption this year could reach 4.94 trillion kWh, putting the annual growth rate to 5 percent.