China predicts 3% rise in 2015 power use

BEIJING - China's National Energy Administration (NEA) on Monday predicted that power use would rise 3 percent to 5.7 trillion kWh in 2015.

"Judging from the economic indicators for the second quarter, the effect of growth-stabilizing policies has gradually emerged and energy demand will pick up in the latter half of the year," NEA deputy head Liu Qi told a conference.

In the first half of the year, China's power use rose only 1.3 percent.

China's economic growth held steady at 7 percent in the first half of the year, with nascent signs of recovery fuelling hopes of growth picking up momentum in the latter half of the year.

Liu said as China's growth stepped into the new normal period, energy consumption will also shift down gears. He predicted energy consumption to grow 3 percent annually for the 2016-2020 period.