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State Grid employees undertake maintenance work on a tower in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. [WANG HUABIN/FOR CHINA DAILY]

BEIJING -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, registered steady growth in the first six months of 2023, official data showed.

In the first half of the year, China's power consumption topped 4.3 trillion kilowatt-hours, up 5 percent from a year ago, said the National Energy Administration.

Power consumed by primary industries grew by 12.1 percent year-on-year, while that used by secondary and tertiary sectors increased by 4.4 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively.

Residential power use saw a year-on-year increase of 1.3 percent to 619.7 billion kilowatt-hours during the first six months, the administration said.