BEIJING - China will face a smaller electricity shortage this summer compared with previous years as the result of a slowed economy, the National Energy Administration said Wednesday.

According to the administration's forecast, the electricity shortage will reach 18 million kilowatts (kW) during peak hours this summer, with the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Hebei and Chongqing municipality suffering a power crunch.

NEA attributed the smaller power shortage this summer to dwindling demand and lower expansion in energy-intensive industries with the slowing of the country's economic growth.

However, the power shortage might worsen in the event of a dry spell or lingering high temperatures, the NEA said.

Electricity consumption nationwide climbed 5.8 percent from a year earlier to 1.96 trillion kilowatt hours in the first five months of the year, according to preliminary statistics. The rate of increase, however, was 6.2 percentage points lower compared with the same period last year.

A widespread power shortage plagued China last summer, with the total electricity deficit totaling around 30 million kW in 26 provinces and municipalities.