Installed power generation and solar power capacities surge

China's installed power generation capacity surged 14.5 percent year-on-year to 2.99 billion kilowatts by the end of March, according to the latest figures released by the National Energy Administration on Monday.

The installed capacity of solar power soared 55 percent year-on-year to 660 million kilowatts, while wind power rising 21.5 percent to about 460 million kilowatts, it said.

Major power generation enterprises nationwide completed investment in power projects amounting to 136.5 billion yuan ($18.84 billion) during the first three months this year, up 7.7 percent year-on-year, while that of power grid projects amounted to 76.6 billion yuan, up 14.7 percent year-on-year.

China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, logged robust expansion from January to March, climbing 9.8 percent year-on-year to around 2.34 trillion kilowatt-hours. Power consumed by primary and secondary industries went up 9.7 percent and 8 percent year-on-year, respectively, while power used by the tertiary sector soared 14.3 percent year-on-year, it said.

Meanwhile, China's residential power use registered a 12 percent increase from the same period last year, the data revealed.