Report forecasts 7 percent rise in power consumption

China's power consumption is expected to mildly rebound starting from the second quarter, but it may still be below the level recorded in 2013, according to a report released on Monday.

China Electricity Council forecast in the report that power consumption may pick up in the remainder of the year following 5.4-percent year-on-year growth in the first quarter.

The growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2013 was 8.4 percent.

The report said the country's power consumption may finally increase by 7 percent for all of 2014, and it will still be 0.5 percentage point lower than in 2013.

Power consumption is widely deemed an indicator of a country's economic vitality.

The report attributed the relatively low growth in the first quarter to economic slowdown, China's efforts to phase out overcapacity and factory shutdowns to curb emissions.