UPDATE 3-Argentina industrial output rises 6.8 pct in March

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BUENOS AIRES, April 19 (Reuters) - Argentina's industrial output grew at a lower-than-expected seasonally adjusted rate of 6.8 percent in March from a year ago, driven by the automobile and chemical sectors, the government said on Thursday.

Industrial production rose a non-seasonally adjusted 7.0 percent from March 2006, matching a figure announced by President Nestor Kirchner earlier in the day.

March industrial output also rose 0.2 percent from February, the Economy Ministry said in a statement.

In the first three months of the year, industrial output rose 6.6 percent. Production climbed 3 percent in February from January, compared with a 2.4 percent drop in January from December.

The March year-on-year figure came in below the 7.7 percent median forecast in a Reuters poll of nine local and international analysts.

Seven international banks had forecast the month's non-seasonally adjusted output at 7.1 percent.

"We're continuing to see the automotive sector and producers of construction materials supporting industry," consulting firm Economia y Regiones said in a report on the data.

"Those two sectors have been really dynamic in the last two quarters since they are among the principal receptors of internal demand for durable consumer goods and investment in residential construction."

Argentina's economy has been booming since a 2001-02 crisis, growing by more than 8 percent in each of the last four years. Analysts forecast it could grow by more than 7.5 percent this year.

The growth is fueling domestic demand for energy, and some business executives have expressed concern that power or natural gas shortages could affect industry.

A private group said the country on Wednesday had hit a new daily record for energy consumption amid unusually warm temperatures and heavy use of air conditioners.

Energy use rose 7.5 percent in March compared with the same month last year and climbed 5.7 percent in the first quarter, the Foundation for Electrical Development said on Thursday.

Kirchner is pushing for increased public and private investment in energy infrastructure and supplies as some analysts warn the country may be nearing maximum capacity.