Beijing, Nov 16 (IANS): China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, edged down 0.2 percent to 449.1 billion kilowatt hours (kwh) in October, official data showed on Monday.

In the first ten months, power use rose 0.7 percent from a year earlier to 4.58 trillion kwh, Xinhua quoted data released by the National Energy Administration (NEA).

Electricity use in October was mainly dragged down by a continued drop in power consumption by the metallurgical and building material industries, among others.

China's value-added industrial output of the electricity, heating, gas and water sectors lost 0.3 percent in October, while September saw 0.7 percent growth.

Electricity use in the service sector rose 7.1 percent in the first ten months, the agricultural sector posted a three percent increase, while use by the industrial sector dropped 1.1 percent from a year earlier, the NEA said.

The different rates reflect positive changes in China's economic structure, as power use by the service sector looks set to surpass the industrial sector.