China's Power Consumption Rises 0.6% in November from Year Earlier

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources China (Beijing, China)--Power consumption in China rose 0.6% to 465.8 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in November in comparison with the same month last year, according to the China Electricity Council.

Primary-sector industry (agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas production) power consumption rose 2.7% to 7.4 billion kWh; consumption by secondary industries (manufactured goods) fell 1.6% to 347.1 billion kWh; the tertiary industry sector (services) used 56.6 billion kWh, an increase of 9.46%. Consumption by urban and township households last month reached 54.7 billion kWh, an increase of 6.5% over the same month in 2014.

For the period of January through November this year, power consumption totaled 5.05 trillion kWh, an increase of 0.7% over the same 11 months in 2014. Primary-industry consumption for the period reached 95.3 billion kWh, an increase of 3%; consumption by the secondary industry sector dropped 1.1% to 3.63 trillion kWh. Tertiary industry consumption increased 7.3% to 652.4 billion kWh. Power consumption by urban and township households rose 4.7% to 668.6 billion kWh in the first 11 months of this year.

The total installed capacity of newly commissioned power plants during the period of January through November this year amounted to 90.44 gigawatts (GW). This included 13.31 GW in new hydropower, 47.51 GW in new thermal power; 5.47 GW in nuclear power, 15.89 GW in wind power and 8.27 GW in solar power.

The installed capacity of power equipment in plants with capacities more than 6 megawatts (MW) as of the end of November reached 1,408.15 GW, an increase of 9.7% over a year earlier. This includes 275.78 GW in hydropower, up 6.4%; 959.57 GW in thermal power, up 6.9%; 26.96 GW in nuclear power, up 43.6%; and 113.27 GW in wind power, up 26.8%.

Investments in hydro and nuclear power have dropped sharply, while investments in in thermal and wind power have increased. For the period of January through November this year, investments in power source construction reached $49.67 billion, an increase of 6.7% over the same 11 months in 2014. This includes $9.74 billion in hydropower investments, a drop of 23.1%; $6.76 billion for nuclear power construction, down 10.9%; and $15.81 billion for thermal power investments, a jump of 25.2%.

Grid-related investments reached $62.13 billion during the first 11 months of this year, an increase of 11.3%.

Average power plant utilization from January through November was 3,597 hours, a drop of 309 hours from the same period in 2014. Average hydropower plant utilization totaled 3,256 hours, a drop of 139 hours; thermal power plant utilization was 3,916 hours, a drop of 355 hours; and average wind power facility utilization was 1,611 hours, a drop of 74 hours.

It is expected that growth in power consumption in China will remain at 1% in 2016, as the nation's gross domestic product is now growing at a rate of 6.5%.

Industrial Info is tracking more than 6,100 active power projects in China, with a total proposed investment of more than $1 trillion, and more than 3,000 operational power plants.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.