CEC: China H2 power use to rise 5-6% YoY, solar capacity to overtake coal in Q3

China's electricity demand is expected to grow 5-6% in the second half from a year earlier, with peak power load reaching 1.57-1.63 billion kilowatts (kW), the China Electricity Council (CEC) forecast on July 30 in its 2026 H1 national power supply-demand report.

The latest forecast was broadly in line with the projection the NEA released in early February, which expected China's total electricity consumption to reach 10.9-11 trillion kWh in 2026. Official data showed the country's power consumption totalled 5.1 trillion kWh in the first half, up 5.3% from a year