The National Energy Administration released the July electricity consumption data on August 21st. The total electricity consumption reached 1.02 trillion kilowatt-hours, marking the first time that China's monthly electricity consumption exceeded one trillion kilowatt-hours. It increased by 8.6% year-on-year. This electricity consumption scale has doubled compared to ten years ago and is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of ASEAN countries. China has thus become the first country in the world to have a monthly electricity consumption exceeding one trillion kilowatt-hours.

However, this figure might not mean much to everyone. Only through comparison can one understand how remarkable it is to consume over 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each month. It is worth noting that the annual electricity consumption of over 200 countries worldwide is only around 32 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2024. This means that China's monthly electricity consumption is approximately 3% of the global annual electricity consumption.

Moreover, a monthly electricity consumption of over 100 billion kilowatt-hours is a first for humanity. Before this, no country had ever achieved such a figure in a single month. Even the annual electricity consumption of most countries worldwide does not exceed 100 billion kilowatt-hours.

Even a powerful country like the United States, with an annual electricity consumption of only around 4.6 trillion kilowatt-hours, averages only about 383.3 billion kilowatt-hours per month.

Only through comparison can one truly appreciate the significance of 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Of course, what is even more remarkable than 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity is China's power generation and transmission capabilities. To generate and transmit such a large amount of electricity within a month is a highly challenging task for any country in the world. If the power infrastructure is not up to par, it would lead to a complete breakdown.

In recent years, during peak electricity consumption periods, many countries have experienced total grid failures. For instance, in April this year, due to high temperatures, Spain's electricity consumption reached record highs, causing the grid to collapse and leaving 70% of the country without power, affecting about 35 million people.

Similarly, in July this year, due to high temperatures, the power systems of many European countries faced significant challenges. At the beginning of July, some cities including Rome in Italy experienced short power outages, affecting households, businesses, and traffic signals.

Even a powerful country like the United States has experienced grid failures. For example, on July 13, 2019, a large-scale power outage occurred in New York, USA, causing the subway to stop operating, and traffic lights and street lamps to go out. Even the concert of "Latin Queen" Jennifer Lopez was interrupted due to the power outage.