The photovoltaic (PV) panels in the tea fields deliver green electricity under the sunlight in Zigui county, Central China"s Hubei Province. Photo: VCG

　　China"s electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, rose 5.3 percent year-on-year to 5.09 trillion kilowatt-hours in the first half of 2026, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA) on Wednesday.

　　Electricity consumption saw an uptick with households consuming more electricity during the summer heat and as the country"s digital industries continued to gain momentum.

　　China"s peak electricity load climbed to a record high of 1.518 billion kilowatts on Friday, a record for the year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China"s top economic planner.

　　The NDRC attributed the nationwide surge in power consumption to multiple factors, including robust industrial demand driven by the rapid growth of high-tech manufacturing, new-energy vehicles (NEVs), and computing equipment, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

　　The services sector, including battery charging and internet data services, also contributed to the surge in power consumption, while increased air-conditioner use played a part as well, the NDRC said.

　　New records quickly followed, with the peak electricity load breaking that record to reach 1.551 billion kilowatts on Tuesday, with Central China and four other provincial-level power grids including Sichuan in Southwest China, and Hubei and Hunan in Central China, breaking their records on the same day.

　　To provide strong support for nationwide electricity supply security, the NEA stated that inter-provincial and inter-regional market mechanisms have effectively supported electricity supply security.