China's power consumption likely to rise 5-6 pct in 2022

BEIJING, May 2 (Xinhua) -- China's power consumption is expected to rise between 5 percent and 6 percent in 2022, according to a report from the China Electricity Council.

Uncertainties such as the COVID-19 epidemic both at home and abroad, international situations and temperatures in the summer and the winter will affect the country's power consumption, the report said.

Due to the sporadic resurgences of domestic COVID-19 cases, the growth rate of electricity consumption in April will likely be lower than that in March.

However, as the epidemic is gradually brought under control, electricity consumption is likely to pick up in May and June.

It is estimated that the country's electricity consumption will increase by 3.5-4.5 percent year on year in the first half of the year.

Under the circumstance that COVID-19 has less impact on the economy in the second half of the year, with the implementation of pro-growth measures and a low comparison base, electricity consumption is expected to grow faster in the second half than in the first half, according to the report.