BEIJING — China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, maintained stable growth in the first nine months of the year, official data showed on Oct 13.

Power use increased 4 percent year-on-year to hit 6.49 trillion kilowatt-hours in the January-September period, according to the National Energy Administration.

Power consumption in the primary industry grew 8.4 percent year-on-year in the first nine months. Electricity consumed by the secondary and tertiary industries increased 1.6 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively. Residents' power consumption registered a year-on-year increase of 13.5 percent.

In September alone, China's power consumption reached 709.2 billion kilowatt-hours, up 0.9 percent year-on-year. Power use in the primary and secondary industries rose 4.1 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively, and dropped 4.6 percent in the tertiary sector.