China, the world's biggest coal user, increased consumption of the fuel by 17 percent to 864 million tons in the first quarter, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on its website yesterday.

 
Power output from coal-fired stations rose 24 percent to 817.9 billion kilowatt-hours and hydropower generation fell 5 percent to 90.6 billion kilowatt-hours, the NDRC said in a separate statement yesterday.

Hydropower generation dropped because of a drought in the southwest, according to the statement. Wind power production gained 99 percent to 8.17 billion kilowatt-hours, it said.