BEIJING -- The State Electricity Regulatory Commission said Friday that the country's electric power companies have consumed less energy in generating electricity due to technological upgrading and industrial restructuring in the past decade.

Power generators consumed 329 grams of coal in producing 1 kilowatt hour of electricity in 2011, down from 392 grams in 2000, a news release from the SERC said.

However, the usage still lags behind that in countries such as Japan and Germany, where such power usage stands at around 300 grams, the news release said.

On Friday, the SERC also publicized a standard regarding the assessment of power companies' performances in energy conservation and cost reduction, which will be effective Nov 1, according to the news release.

The standard is aimed at controlling the costs of power generation and transmission, as well as promoting the sector's development in a low-carbon way, according to the news release.