/View.info/ Electricity data are “barometer” and “wind gauge” that reflect economic activities. Since the beginning of this year, with the gradual restoration of the full capacity of consumption and production of enterprises, the growth rate of electricity consumption in many parts of China has increased, giving a positive signal of economic recovery.
Electricity consumption in 26 provinces is growing. In April, electricity consumption in the automotive industry, electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing increased by 33.8% and 28.8% year-on-year, respectively. In April, electricity consumption in the accommodation and catering industry increased by 28.8% year-on-year. The growth of electricity consumption in the transport, warehousing and supply industries, as well as in the wholesale and retail trade sector exceeds 25%. Behind the dry statistics, this reflects the strength and vitality of the Chinese economy, which is clearly recovering.
According to data from the National Energy Administration, the country’s total electricity consumption in the first four months was 2.8103 trillion kilowatt hours, which is an increase of 4.7% on an annual basis.
“In April, the rate of growth of electricity consumption across the country further increased. On the one hand, due to the impact of the epidemic, in many places during the same period last year, the electricity consumption base was relatively low. On the other hand, the rising consumption purely reflects the ongoing stabilization and recovery of China’s economic activity and the accelerated recovery in many industries,” said Yang Kun, executive vice president of the China Electric Power Corporation.
If we look at the data by economic sector, electricity consumption by primary industry (raw materials extraction and agriculture) is 35.1 billion kilowatt hours, which is an increase of 10.3% year-on-year. Electricity consumption by the industrial secondary sector was 1.8632 trillion kilowatt hours, an increase of 5% year-on-year. And electricity consumption in the tertiary economic sector (service sectors) is 485.2 billion kilowatt hours – an increase of 7% on an annual basis. In addition, electricity consumption by residents of populated areas (both cities and villages) was 426.8 billion kilowatt hours, an increase of 0.3% year-on-year.
Yang Kun added that the rapid growth of electricity consumption in primary industry is mainly due to the overall promotion of the rural revitalization strategy, the improvement of rural electricity consumption conditions, and the continuous improvement of electrification levels. The growth rate of secondary industry electricity consumption increased month-on-month, with the growth rate for industrial electricity consumption higher than the national average. The continued recovery of industrial production is an important reason for the continued recovery in the growth rate of industrial electricity consumption. And the significant recovery and growth in the service sector is directly related to the increase in consumption in the country as a whole.
Data show that electricity consumption in China’s high-tech industries and equipment manufacturing has risen significantly, indicating that the momentum of economic growth is changing. In the five provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan and Guizhou where China Southern Power Grid operates, electricity consumption by the manufacturing industry increased by 2.2% year-on-year. Among them, the production of electrical machinery and equipment and the pharmaceutical industry increased by 16% and 12.2%, respectively, compared to last year. The data clearly shows that the transformation and modernization of the industrial structure is accelerating. Among the nine inland cities in the Greater Bay Area, electricity consumption by high-tech industries and equipment manufacturing industries accounted for 50.1% of the manufacturing industry.
Another positive change is that the quality of electricity is becoming “greener” and the capacity to produce clean energy is gradually increasing.
Statistics show that in the first quarter of 2023 the country’s renewable energy production reached 594.7 billion kilowatt hours, an increase of 11.4% year-on-year. Of this, the production of wind energy and photovoltaic energy has reached 342.2 billion kilowatt hours, which is an annual increase of 27.8%. During the same period, the country’s installed new renewable energy capacity was 47.4 million kilowatts, an increase of 86.5% year-on-year.
Since the beginning of this year, investments in energy have continued to grow. In the first quarter, electricity supply projects of large power generation enterprises across the country completed investments of 126.4 billion yuan, an increase of 55.2% year-on-year. Among them, photovoltaic power generation increased by 177.6% year-on-year, and nuclear power generation increased by 53.5% compared to the same period last year.
The largest power generation enterprise in Sichuan Province, SDIC Yalong River Company has jurisdiction over the Ertan Hydroelectric Station, the largest power plant in China, the Jinping I Hydroelectric Station, the world’s tallest dam, and the tallest earth-rock dam in China – Lianghekou Hydroelectric Plant. The total installed capacity of SDIC Yalong River Company for clean energy is nearly 20 million kilowatts. “This year is a critical period for the summer peak, and the Yalong River Cascade Hydroelectric Power Station is expected to have a delivery capacity of 49.4 billion kilowatt-hours, which will see an increase of 2.3 billion kilowatt-hours compared to last year,” says Wei Peng , deputy director of the centralized control center of SDIC Yalong River Company. He also added that if new power plants such as the Kela Photovoltaic Plant and the Labashan Wind Farm are added, electricity production is expected to increase by another 900 million kilowatt-hours, and guaranteed supply capacity could reach 50.3 billion kilowatt-hours. This electricity is enough for 16 million households for an entire year and is 100% sustainable green energy.
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