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On October 21, 2026, China's National Energy Administration released data on total electricity consumption for the period from January to September 2026. According to Deutsche Welle's Chinese-language website, residential electricity consumption by urban and rural residents during the same period was 1,234.6 billion kilowatt-hours, down 0.3% year-on-year, marking the first time in nearly a decade that the cumulative growth rate for the same period turned negative. The report said the National Energy Administration attributed the consecutive declines in residential electricity consumption in August and September to reduced air-conditioning use caused by extreme weather such as typhoons, with Shanghai recording a 27.8% drop in September. During the same period, electricity consumption in the battery charging and swapping service industry and the internet data service industry grew by 55.4% and 41.6% year-on-year, respectively. Currently, this data is reported by a single source, with no further developments yet.
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- Source:Deutsche Welle Chinese
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Oct 24
Deutsche Welle Chinese
AI and EVs Become "Power Hogs": China's Residential Electricity Consumption Turns Negative for First Time in Nearly a Decade in First Three Quarters
From January to September 2026, China's urban and rural residential electricity consumption totaled 1,234.6 billion kWh, down 0.3% year-on-year, marking the first time in nearly a decade that the cumulative growth rate for the same period turned from positive to negative. The National Energy Administration attributed the consecutive declines in August and September to reduced air-conditioning electricity use caused by extreme weather such as typhoons, with Shanghai recording a 27.8% drop in September. Over the same period, electricity consumption in the battery charging and swapping service industry and internet data services grew by 55.4% and 41.6% year-on-year, respectively.