According to preliminary statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, Chinese primary energy consumption increased by a moderate 0.9% in 2015, due to a 3.7% drop in coal consumption, which still accounted for 64% of the primary energy consumption. Crude oil consumption increased by 5.6%, gas consumption by 3.3% and electricity consumption by 0.5%.
Energy efficiency continued to progress in China, as the energy intensity (energy consumption per unit of GDP) contracted by 5.6% (it has been declining regularly since 2011); the unit consumption (energy consumption per ton) dipped by 0.49% for cement and by 0.95% for thermal power (coal consumption per kWh generated).
Primary energy production remained stable in 2015, with coal production dipping by 3.3%, while the production of crude oil and gas progressed (+1.5% and +3.4%, respectively). Power generation increased by 0.3%, despite a 2.7% drop in thermal generation; hydropower generation grew by 5% and nuclear power generation by 29%.