China's power consumption is expected to mildly rebound starting from the second quarter, but it may still be below the level recorded in 2013, according to a report released on Monday.
China Electricity Council forecast in the report that power consumption may pick up in the remainder of the year following 5.4-percent year-on-year growth in the first quarter.
The growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2013 was 8.4 percent.
The report said the country's power consumption may finally increase by 7 percent for all of 2014, and it will still be 0.5 percentage point lower than in 2013.
Power consumption is widely deemed an indicator of a country's economic vitality.
The report attributed the relatively low growth in the first quarter to economic slowdown, China's efforts to phase out overcapacity and factory shutdowns to curb emissions.
Source: Xinhua
