Chinas power consumption increases in 2010

China 2010 power consumption surged across primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, with heavy industry leading demand; installed capacity in thermal, hydropower, nuclear, and wind expanded, utilization hours rose, while grid and generation investments shifted.

In 2010, the overall social power consumption in China reached 4.2 trillion kilowatt hours kWh, an increase of 14.56 year over year, which was 8.1 percentage points higher than the previous year. Of which, the power consumption in December 2010 reached 362.5 billion kWh, an increase of 3 year over year, according to the instant monthly report published by the China Electricity Council on January 17, 2011.

In 2010, the power consumption of the primary industries agriculture, farming, fisheries, forestry, etc. reached 9.84 billion kWh, an increase of 4.68 year over year, which was 2.2 percentage points lower than the previous year and followed the power consumption declines in 2008 across sectors.

Power consumption in the secondary industries mining, manufacturing, electricity, gas, water reached 3.1 trillion kWh, an increase of 15.41, which was 10.7 percentage points higher than the previous year and was supported by power generation up 14 per cent nationwide during 2010.

Power consumption in the tertiary industries hotels, services, insurance, etc. reached 449.7 billion kWh, an increase of 14, which was 1.28 percentage points higher than the previous year. Urban power consumption reached 512.5 billion kWh, up 12 year over year, even though consumption dropped almost 13 per cent in January earlier in the year, which maintained the same growth as the previous year.

In 2010, industrial power consumption, which took more than 70 of the nation's total power consumption, reached 3 trillion kWh, an increase of 15. 4 year over year that outpaced power consumption up almost 6 per cent nationwide during the year, which was 10.8 percentage points higher than the previous year. Of which, the power consumption of light industry and heavy industry reached 518.7 billion kWh and 2.6 trillion kWh, an increase of 11.9 and 16.2 year over year, respectively. Aside from the lower figures of the previous year, strong investment and rapid economic development are the major factors in promoting the growth of power consumption in heavy industry.

At of the end of December 2010, the total installed capacity of power plants with capacities of 6 megawatts MW or more reached 962 gigawatts GW, an increase of 10.1 year over year. Of this, the installed capacity of thermal power reached 706.63 GW. The proportion of non-fossil energy rose to 26.53 of the total installed capacity. The installed capacity of hydropower, nuclear power and wind power reached 213.4 GW, 10.82 GW and 31.07 GW, respectively.

In 2010, the average accumulated utilization hours of power generation equipment in China reached 4,660 hours, an increase of 114 hours year over year. This is the first rise in utilization hours since 2004, reversing the power equipment utilization declines 6% seen previously.

In 2010, the total investment in China's Power Industry reached $106.8 billion, a decline of 8.45 year over year. Investments in power generation and the power grid reached $55.2 billion and $51.7 billion, respectively calculated based on the exchange rate of $1

RMB 6.6 yuan.

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