CHINA’S electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, continued stable expansion in September, official data showed yesterday.

Power usage climbed 9.9% from a year ago to 781.1 billion kilowatt-hours last month, according to the National Energy Administration.

Power consumption by primary industries increased 8.6% year on year, while power consumption by secondary and tertiary sectors gained 8.7% and 16.9%, respectively.

Residential power usage saw a year-on-year increase of 6.6% to 103.5 billion kilowatt-hours in September, the administration said.

In the first three quarters, the country’s electricity consumption rose 5.6% from a year earlier to 6.86 trillion kilowatt-hours. (Xinhua)