China power consumption growth seen slow: report

SHANGHAI: Electricity consumption in China may slow to 6 to 7 percent growth in the first quarter of this year, down by nearly half from the same period a year ago, the head of the China Electricity was quoted as forecasting in a media report on Saturday.

China's electricity usage increased 12.7 percent in the first quarter of 2011, China Securities Journal reported, quoting Yang Changyu, secretary-general of the council.

Analysts often interpret power consumption in China as a proxy for economic activity, as official GDP figures are sometimes viewed as unreliable.

Despite the forecast slowdown in the first quarter, year-on-year growth rates are rising month-on-month, Yang said.