BEIJING — China's power generation grew slightly during the first half of April due to rising demand, according to the China Electricity Council.

Electricity generation steadily recovered, rising 1.2 percent year-on-year during the first 15 days of April, as the novel coronavirus epidemic has been brought under control and companies and factories sped up work resumption.

The country's electricity consumption fell 6.5 percent year-on-year during the first quarter.

However, the information technology sector's electricity usage surged 27 percent from a year earlier from January to March, compared with an 8.3-percent fall in the electricity consumption of the entire tertiary industry.

With social life and economic activities returning to normal, the country's electricity usage will likely grow by 2 percent to 3 percent during the second quarter, the State Grid Energy Research Institute said.