China’s electricity demand set a global monthly record in July, topping 1.02 trillion kilowatt-hours, according to data from the National Energy Administration. The milestone marks an 8.6% year-on-year rise and makes China the first country to cross the one-trillion-kWh threshold in a single month. The agency said successive heatwaves and continued expansion of industrial production underpinned the surge, which is twice the volume recorded a decade earlier and roughly matches the annual power consumption of the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Residential demand grew the fastest, jumping 18% to 203.9 billion kWh, while overall consumption momentum accelerated from May’s 4.4% growth rate. The figures highlight the challenge of meeting China’s climate goals even as separate research this week indicated the country’s carbon dioxide emissions dipped 1% in the first half amid a rapid build-out of renewable capacity.