BEIJING — China's power generation rose 4.7 percent year-on-year in September, faster growth than the 1.7-percent rate recorded in August, official data showed on Oct 18.

Power generation hit 590.8 billion kilowatt-hours last month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

A breakdown showed coal-fired electricity returned to growth in September, climbing 6 percent year-on-year. Hydroelectricity and wind power fell 1.1 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.

Nuclear power recorded a slower increase of 17.9 percent, compared with 21.2 percent in August. Solar power growth accelerated by 5.5 percentage points to 19.4 percent.

In the first three quarters of 2019, power generation increased 3 percent year-on-year to 5.3 trillion kilowatt-hours, down 0.3 percentage points from the first half.