China's 2015 power consumption up 0.5 pct year-on-year

Jan 17 (Reuters) - China's power consumption in 2015 rose 0.5 percent from a
year earlier to 5.550 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh), figures from the National
Energy Administration (NEA) showed.
    The NEA did not break out figures for December, or for wind and solar power.
But Reuters calculations suggest that China's power consumption stood at 500.7
billion kWh in December, down 2.1 percent on-year. 
    Total generating capacity rose 10.4 percent in 2015, with a 29.9-percent
jump in nuclear power capacity, the administration said in a statement published
on its website (www.nea.gov.cn).
    Thermal power, mainly coal, accounted for 65.7 percent of China's total
power generating capacity by the end of the year, down from 67.3 percent in
2014.
    Nur Bekri, head of the NEA, said in December that coal will make up 62.6
percent of the country's primary energy needs in 2016, as opposed to 64.4
percent last year, according to official state news agency Xinhua. 
    Official monthly data for power generation in December has not yet been
released.
    The following is a breakdown of China's power consumption and other data for
November, posted on the administration's website.
    For news and data on China's power market, please click.

                                         Jan-Dec         y/y chg
                                       (bln kWh)           (pct)
Total power use                          5,550.0             0.5
Of which:
      Residential                          727.6             5.0
      Non-residential*                   4,822.4
-Primary industry~                         102.0             2.5
-Secondary industry                      4,004.6            -1.4
Of which:
      Light industry                       672.9             1.3
      Heavy industry                     3,262.0            -1.9
-Tertiary industry                         715.8             7.5

                                          Jan-Dec        y/y chg
                                          (hours)        (hours)
Power plant utilisation^                    3,969           -349
Of which:
    Thermal plants                          4,329           -410
    Hydro plants                            3,621            -48

                                          Jan-Dec        y/y chg
Coal use in generation^               (grams/kWh)    (grams/kWh)
                                              315           -4.0

New generation capacity                   Jan-Dec        y/y chg
                                             (GW)          (pct)
Total                                      129.74           24.2
Of which:
     Thermal                                64.00           33.6
     Hydro                                  16.08          -26.2

                                          end-Dec        y/y chg
Generation capacity                          (GW)          (pct)
Total                                    1,506.73           10.4
Of which:
       Thermal                             990.21            7.8
       Hydropower                          319.37            4.9
       Nuclear                              26.08           29.9

* Calculated by Reuters based on available government figures.
~ Primary industry refers to agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery and
forestry.
^ Excludes units with capacity of less than 6 megawatts.

 (Reporting by Adam Rose; Editing by Kim Coghill)