(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) China's electricity consumption returned to positive territory in August, suggesting a slight improvement in economic activity.
Power consumption rose 1.9% year on year to 512.4 billion kilowatt hours (kwh), compared with a 1.3% decline in July and a 1.8% increase in June, according to data released by the National Energy Administration (NEA) on Tuesday. In the first eight months of 2015, total power use edged up 1% year on year to 3.68 trillion kwh, according to China's (Xinhua) News Agency.
Before the decrease in July, electricity use maintained mild growth from April to June. Analysts had attributed the July drop to relatively cool weather and frequent rainfall as well as lukewarm industrial activity. Though the growth rate was low, power use recovered gradually from April to June. It rose 1.3% in April and 1.6% in May.
In August, power use in primary industries went up 2.3% while secondary industries climbed 0.7% and usage by tertiary industry jumped 7.5%, according to the NEA. China's economic growth slowed to 7% in the first and the second quarter of 2015, the lowest quarterly growth rate since 2009, as a result of sluggish external demand and a cooling property industry.
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