China's electricity consumption shrank 12.5 percent year on year in February, the National Energy Administration said on Thursday.

The country used 337.4 billion kwh last month, according to an administration statement.

But electricity consumption went up 5.5 percent year on year to 789.2 billion kwh in the first two months.

Consumption expanded 4.3 percent in the agricultural industry, 4.2 percent in the industrial sector and 13.8 percent in the tertiary industry in January and February. Residential consumption expanded 4.7 percent.

Electricity consumption is a barometer of economic activities.

China has targeted 7.5 percent economic growth and 3.5 percent inflation this year.

Its economic growth eased to a 13-year low of 7.8 percent in 2012. The government cooled the inflation rate to 2.6 percent year on year in 2012 from 5.4 percent in 2011.