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China Power Consumption Rises 5.3% in H1 From Year Prior

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China's power consumption climbed 5.3% in H1 versus the same six months of 2025 to 5.1 trillion kilowatt-hours, according to two Chinese media outlets on Wednesday, citing the National Energy Administration.

Household consumption increased due to increased cooling demand while digital industries also drew more power, the Global Times said.

Peak electricity load hit a 2026 record of 1.55 terawatts on Tuesday, the publication said, citing the National Development and Reform Commission.

The NRDC said this was due to strong industrial demand amid an expansion in high-tech manufacturing as well as a growing fleet of electric vehicles, plus demand for computing, along with air conditioning use, the article said, citing Xinhua news agency.

The June 2026 versus June 2025 increase in power consumption was less pronounced, the article said, with the NEA putting the rise at 3.7% to 898.1 billion kilowatt hours last month. Industrial demand over that period rose 10.3% however.

Xinhua reported that power consumption from internet data services climbed 44% from a year earlier in H1 to 49.4 billion kWh. Power demand from EV charging and battery swapping services soared 56.9 percent to 81 billion kWh in the first half of 2026, the news agency said.

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PJM Issues Multiple Alerts as Heat Wave Drives Higher Power Demand

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Commodities

US Oil Update: Futures Settle Higher as US-Iran Conflict Intensifies, Inventories Tighten

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Commodities

US Natural Gas Update: Prices Edge Up on Hot Weather Ahead of Inventory Data

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