Aerial photo taken on Aug. 17, 2021 shows transmission lines of Lianghekou hydropower plant on the Yalong River in Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, Aug. 2 -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, has been rising in recent periods, indicating the continuous recovery of enterprises' production and economic operation.

The country's total power use increased 2.9 percent year on year in the January-June period to 4.1 trillion kilowatt-hours, according to the National Energy Administration.

In June alone, power consumption was recorded at 745.1 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 4.7 percent from a year ago. The growth rate was 6 percentage points higher than that in May when the country was hit by sporadic resurgences of COVID-19.

The recovery in the growth rate of electricity consumption in June reflected the positive effects of the current resumption of work and production, Wang Yixuan, an official with the China Electricity Council said.

The high-tech and equipment manufacturing industry showed the fastest growth rate in June, indicating the noticeable effect of the resumption of work and production in the industry.

In June, the electricity consumption of the industry rallied 3.6 percent, 4.9 percentage points faster than that of May.