China's total electricity consumption reached a record 10.4 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2025, driven by AI services and electric vehicle charging, widening the energy gap with the US and other major economies. The National Energy Administration announced this on Saturday, marking the first time annual usage exceeded 10 trillion kWh in China's history. Growth was primarily fueled by the tertiary sector and residential demand.
The National Energy Administration announced on Saturday that China's total electricity consumption hit a record 10.4 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2025, up 5 per cent from the previous year and more than double that of the US. State broadcaster CCTV, citing NEA data, noted this as the highest in the world, surpassing the combined total of the European Union, Russia, India, and Japan.
The main drivers were the tertiary sector—covering services including AI cloud services—and residential use. Tertiary sector consumption rose 8.2 per cent to 1.99 trillion kWh, primarily driven by a 48.8 per cent increase in electric vehicle charging and battery swapping, and a 17 per cent jump in information technology services amid booming demand for data centres and AI services, according to the NEA.
Primary industries—including agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries—saw a 9.9 per cent year-on-year growth to 149.4 billion kWh. Secondary industries—such as manufacturing, construction, and mining—increased 3.7 per cent to 6.64 trillion kWh.
Residential consumption reached 1.59 trillion kWh, up 6.3 per cent, as heatwaves last year led to record usage in regions including Henan, Shaanxi, and Hubei.
This milestone highlights China's rapid advances in AI and electric vehicles, fueling sustained energy demand while underscoring supply challenges.
