China power use shrinks amid economic downturn

 China's eletricity generation in March shrank 3.7% from a year earlier, the sharpest decline in a non-holiday month since Jan 2009,  data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

Measured by consumption data released by the National Energy Administration,  power consumption also 2.2 percent in March, the weakest since the NEA published such data in 2009.

These data suggested the Chinese economy is losing its growth momentum even though the government reported industrial output in March still gained 5.6% year-on-year, and some suspected actual industrial activities could be even weaker than the numbers showed.

With a cut on interest rate and several targeted monetary easing polices since late last year, as well as the kickoff of some government investment plans,  the government  hopes to contain the decline of economic growth and beef up demand in the world's second largest economy.

Weakening economy suggests weaker demand for gas, even though the government has taken measures to cut down coal use and replace it with gas so as to reduce environmental pollutions.