BEIJING -- China's power consumption rose 5.4 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, official data showed on Tuesday.

Power use, an indicator of economic activity, gained 7.2 percent in March from a year ago, according to National Energy Administration (NEA) data.

In the first three months, electricity use by the primary industry dropped 7 percent year on year to 17.4 billion kwh, said the NEA.

Power consumption by the secondary industry reached 913.3 billion kwh in the first quarter, up 5.3 percent year on year, while that by the tertiary industry rose 6.6 percent year on year to reach 163.3 billion kwh.

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