BEIJING — China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, posted steady growth in the first eight months, official data showed on Sept 15.

Power use went up 4.4 percent, year-on-year, between January and August to 5.78 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh), said the National Energy Administration.

Power consumed by the primary industry increased by 11 percent year-on-year. Electricity used by the secondary and tertiary industries climbed 1.4 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively. Residents' power consumption saw a year-on-year increase of 15.8 percent.

In August alone, power consumption hit 852 billion kWh, an increase of 10.7 percent from a year ago. Electricity use in the primary sector rose 14.5 percent, while electricity used by the secondary and tertiary sectors gained 3.6 percent and 15 percent, respectively.