Growth in China's electricity consumption, an important indicator of economic activity, remained at a low level in May, official data showed Monday.

Power use rose 1.6 percent year-on-year to 456.7 billion kilowatt hours in May, slightly up from the 1.3 percent rise seen a month earlier, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said in a statement on Monday.

In the first five months, power use went up 1.1 percent. Electricity use by primary industry dipped 0.8 percent from a year earlier. Power consumption by secondary industry went down 0.8 percent, while tertiary industry saw an 8.3 percent rise, according to the NEA.

The lukewarm data added to a slew of other indicators that showed China's growth momentum has yet to solidify despite a string of government support policies, including three interest rate cuts since November 2014.