According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on June 16th, detailing energy production for May, output of raw coal from industrial enterprises above a designated size remained at a relatively high level, crude oil production grew steadily, natural gas output saw a slight decline, and electricity production accelerated.

Raw coal output from these enterprises stood at 400 million tonnes in May, representing a year-on-year decrease of 1.7%. The average daily production was 12.81 million tonnes. For the period from January to May, the cumulative raw coal output was 1.98 billion tonnes, down 0.3% compared to the same period last year.

Crude oil production showed stable growth. May's output reached 18.57 million tonnes, up 0.5% year-on-year, though this growth rate slowed by 0.7 percentage points from April. The average daily output was 599,000 tonnes. Cumulative output for the first five months was 91.31 million tonnes, an increase of 1.1%.

However, the volume of crude oil processed saw a larger decline. Processing volume in May was 53.72 million tonnes, down 9.1% year-on-year, with the rate of decline widening by 3.3 percentage points from April. The average daily processing volume was 1.733 million tonnes. The cumulative processing volume from January to May was 292.80 million tonnes, down 2.2%.

Natural gas production experienced a slight drop. Output in May was 21.7 billion cubic meters, a decrease of 2.2% year-on-year, compared to a 1.9% increase in April. Average daily output was 700 million cubic meters. Cumulative output for the first five months was 111.7 billion cubic meters, up 1.7%.

Electricity production accelerated. Power generation in May reached 784.3 billion kilowatt-hours, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%, with the growth rate accelerating by 1.6 percentage points from April. The average daily generation was 25.30 billion kilowatt-hours. Cumulative generation from January to May was 3,912.9 billion kilowatt-hours, up 3.6%.

By energy source, thermal power generation growth slowed in May, while hydropower and solar power generation growth accelerated. Nuclear and wind power generation shifted from decline to growth. Specifically, thermal power generation increased by 2.1% year-on-year, with growth slowing by 1.0 percentage point from April. Hydropower generation grew by 13.0%, accelerating by 0.8 percentage points. Nuclear power generation increased by 5.0%, rebounding from an 8.7% decline in April. Wind power generation grew by 0.5%, compared to a 5.0% drop in April. Solar power generation surged by 12.1%, with growth accelerating by 5.0 percentage points.