China internet data services electricity use tops 60 TWh, up over 40%

The council's framing matters more than the headline figure: it is classifying data services alongside EV charging as a distinct digital-energy load category, which is a regulatory signal as much as a statistical one. That affects power planners, grid operators and the data centre buildout pipeline, since being named a new load class tends to precede scrutiny over siting, tariffs and grid access. Whether this designation translates into concrete policy on where and how such capacity is powered is the open question.