CEC: China's power consumption to rise 5-6% in 2026

China's power consumption is expected to reach 10.9-11 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2026, up about 5-6% from the 2025 level, according to an annual supply-demand fundamentals report released by the China Electricity Council (CEC).

In 2025, the country's power generation rose 5% to 10.37 trillion kWh, making China the first nation to exceed the 10-trillion-kWh threshold. This volume was also more than double the annual electricity consumption of the United States, sources noted. The CEC also forecast this year's national peak power load, which