BEIJING, Oct. 23 -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, saw steady expansion in September, official data showed on Thursday.

Power use rose 4.5 percent year on year in September to 888.6 billion kilowatt-hours, according to the National Energy Administration.

Power consumed by the primary and secondary industries rose 7.3 percent and 5.7 percent year on year, respectively, while the tertiary sector saw a 6.3 percent increase.

The electricity consumption of the country's residents totaled 128.7 billion kilowatt-hours, down 2.6 percent year on year.

From January to September, China's total power use climbed 4.6 percent to nearly 7.77 trillion kilowatt-hours.