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China's power use rises 1.6 pct in May

Xinhua, June 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

Growth in China's electricity consumption, an important indicator of economic activity, remained at a low level in May, suggesting persistent weakness in the world's second largest economy.

Power use rose 1.6 percent year on year to 456.7 billion kilowatt hours (KWh) in May, slightly up from the 1.3-percent rise seen a month earlier, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Monday.

In the first five months, power use went up 1.1 percent. Electricity use by primary industry dipped 0.8 percent from a year earlier. Power consumption by secondary industry went down 0.8 percent, while tertiary industry saw a 8.3-percent rise.

The lukewarm data added to a slew of other indicators that showed China's growth momentum has yet to solidify despite a string of government-support policies, including three interest rate cuts since November.

Dragged down by a housing slowdown, softening domestic demand and unsteady exports, China's economy in 2014 grew 7.4 percent, its weakest annual expansion in 24 years. GDP growth in the first quarter of the year eased to 7 percent. Endi