China's electricity consumption during the 2026 Chinese New Year holiday showed a slight overall dip but revealed accelerating structural shifts toward clean energy and electric mobility, industry data showed.

State Grid Corporation of China reported average daily power consumption of 15.68 TWh during the holiday (February 15-23), with peak load reaching 773 GW. This represented declines of about 3.5% and 3.7%, respectively, compared to the 2025 holiday, when daily consumption stood at 16.24 TWh and peak load hit 803 GW.

The modest decline did not trigger supply concerns, with grid operators citing improved inter-regional transmission capacity and "province-specific" dispatching strategies.

The world's largest clean energy corridor - a cascade of six mega hydropower stations including Wudongde, Baihetan, Xiluodu, Xiangjiaba, Three Gorges, and Gezhouba - generated approximately 4.79 TWh of power during the holiday, a record high for the Spring Festival period. This marked a 19.8% increase from the roughly 4.0 TWh generated during the 2025 holiday.

The corridor's average daily output of about 530 GWh could theoretically meet the daily electricity needs of 180 million people, according to operator China Three Gorges Corporation.

Meanwhile, the transformation of China's transportation sector left a clear mark on power data, with electric vehicle charging seeing explosive growth.

The country's highway Electric vehicle (EV) charging reached 149.77 GWh from 6.02 million charging sessions during the holiday, showed data from the National Energy Administration. Average daily charging volume jumped 52.01% compared to the 2025 period to a new high.

State Grid's e-vehicle platform recorded 246 GWh of total charging, up 11% year on year, with highway charging hitting 77.2 GWh, a 19% gain. The peak came on February 22, the return-trip high day, when single-day highway charging reached a record 10.74 GWh.

State-owned China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd.'s "Shunyichong" platform saw charging volume jump 23.26% to 62.36 GWh. Notably, charging for Hong Kong and Macao vehicles surged 151.35%, driven by the policy push to facilitate northward trips.

"The surge in EV travel this year was remarkable", said Tang Xiao, a charging operations manager with State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Co., Ltd., noting a 57.94% increase at one expressway service station compared to 2025.

Regional power data highlighted China's shifting economic geography and energy landscape.

Hainan province, saw average daily power consumption surge 12.2% year on year over its first CNY holiday since full customs closure began. Power consumption from the tertiary industry climbed 17.3%, with the wholesale & retail sectors as well as accommodation & catering sectors rising 28.3% and 20.1% respectively, mirroring the province's 28.9% surge in tourist arrivals to over 12.32 million visitors.

EV charging on the island rose 37.6%, with 59,000 NEVs transported across the Qiongzhou Strait, up 67.1% year on year.

Meanwhile, Xinjiang's role as an energy hub intensified, with the region transmitting 2.79 TWh of power to other provinces during the holiday, a 44.2% jump from 1.94 TWh during the 2025 holiday. China Southern Grid also reported a 26% increase in its "West-to-East" electricity transmission volume.

The 2026 Spring Festival power data clearly charts China's energy transition. Amid stabilizing overall demand, green power's share is rising rapidly, and consumption patterns are being fundamentally reshaped by EVs and regional economic policies, analysts said.