Electricity consumption for EV charging and China’s data services surges
Beijing (ANTARA) — Electricity consumption by electric vehicle (EV) charging services and internet data services in China surged in September, signalling strong demand from the country’s new-energy vehicle (NEV) industry and its fast-growing digital sector, according to official data released on Wednesday (21 October).
Electricity consumption by charging and battery-swapping services reached 16.8 billion kilowatt-hours in September, up 57 per cent year on year, while consumption by internet data services rose 35.4 per cent to 9.8 billion kilowatt-hours, according to China’s National Energy Administration.
In September, NEVs accounted for a record 61.6 per cent of China’s total new car sales for the month. This marked the third consecutive month in which their share exceeded 60 per cent. The cumulative share of NEVs over the first three quarters rose to 53.6 per cent.
By the end of September, China’s intelligent computing capacity had reached 2,592 EFLOPS, up 146 per cent year on year. EFLOPS is a measure of computing performance, with each unit representing one quintillion floating-point operations per second.
China’s total electricity consumption in September reached 899.7 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 1.2 per cent year on year.
By sector, primary industry consumed 13.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in September, up 4.1 per cent year on year. Electricity use in secondary industry rose 1.7 per cent to 580 billion kilowatt-hours, while consumption in tertiary industry increased 4.9 per cent to 185.2 billion kilowatt-hours last month.
Meanwhile, electricity consumption in high-tech industries and equipment manufacturing increased 4.6 per cent year on year to 116.7 billion kilowatt-hours in September.
Electricity consumption is widely regarded as a barometer of economic activity. Changes in power demand can offer insight into shifts in the industrial structure and drivers of growth.
Data released on Wednesday showed that, although overall electricity consumption grew at a moderate pace, use in high-tech industries and equipment manufacturing rose much faster, pointing to the growing role of advanced manufacturing in China’s economy.
The sharp increase in electricity use by EV charging and data services also underlines the emergence of new sources of demand linked to the green and digital transitions.
In the first three quarters of 2026, China’s total electricity consumption rose 3.9 per cent year on year to 8.07 trillion kilowatt-hours. Consumption by charging and battery-swapping services surged 55.4 per cent over the same period, while electricity use by internet data services increased 41.6 per cent.
According to China’s annual electricity industry development report, released by the China Electricity Council in July, national electricity consumption in 2026 is forecast to rise by 5 to 6 per cent year on year.