BEIJING, May 20 -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, saw a steady expansion in the first four months of the year, official data showed.

Total power use in China expanded 4.7 percent year on year to 2.81 trillion kilowatt-hours in the January-April period, according to the National Energy Administration.

Power consumption in primary industry rose 10.3 percent year on year to 35.1 billion kilowatt-hours during the period. Electricity consumed by secondary and tertiary industries increased 5 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

Residential power use edged up 0.3 percent from a year ago in the first four months of 2023.

In April alone, China's power consumption totaled 690.1 billion kilowatt-hours, up 8.3 percent year on year.