China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, is expected to grow by about 3 percent year on year in 2020, according to an estimate from the State Grid Energy Research Institute.
In the fourth quarter, China's electricity consumption is forecast to grow by about 8 percent, the institute said.
Due to the impact caused by COVID-19, China's power use in the first quarter fell by 6.5 percent year on year. As the country managed to contain the spread of the virus and economic activities picked up, its power use has rebounded since April. In August, the growth of power use reached 7.7 percent year on year.