China's power demand shrank by 4.03 percent in the first four months from the same period last year under the impact of the global economic downturn, said the National Energy Administration in Beijing on Monday.

Zhang Guobao, head of the administration, told a press conference that the trend contrasted sharply with the record before September last year, when the power demand kept rising at double-digit growth.

Though the official data are yet to be released, Zhang said the figure for first five months would be a roughly 4-percent drop.

Tan Yongyao, spokesman of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC), China's power regulator, estimated the power demand would start to gaining during the second quarter or even later, as the government's macroeconomic policies gradually take effect.