Annual electricity consumption in the region served by China Southern Power Grid has surpassed 1.7 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh), marking a pivotal shift in the energy landscape of China's industrial heartland as renewable energy officially became the area's largest source of power, according to company data released on Tuesday.

Total power usage in the operator's service area grew 5.4 percent year-on-year in 2025, representing a significant 37.8 percent increase compared to the end of 2020, it said.

The milestone highlights the region's rapid electrification and its role as a primary engine for China's high-tech manufacturing sector.

The year 2025 marked a historic structural transformation for the grid. With the addition of over 75 million kilowatts of new capacity in the southern regions, the total scale of renewable energy reached 260 million kilowatts, officially surpassing coal to become the region's largest power source.

Non-fossil energy now accounts for 66 percent of total installed capacity and 55 percent of total power generation, placing China Southern Power Grid at the global forefront for non-fossil energy integration among grids of comparable scale.

According to the company, the surge in electricity consumption was largely driven by the rapid expansion of the digital economy and green transportation.

Power consumption in the electric vehicle charging and battery-swap industry surged by 44.9 percent, emerging as a primary driver for growth in the service sector, while the information transmission, software, and IT services sector saw a 14.1 percent increase in power use, led by a massive 55.2 percent jump in electricity demand from internet data services, it said.

In Guangdong province, China's leading economic powerhouse, high-tech and equipment manufacturing continued to show robust momentum. Electricity consumption in this sector grew by 6.65 percent in 2025, with automobile manufacturing up 12.66 percent, and computer and electronics manufacturing up 8.57 percent.