* Annual shipments for utilities probably lowest in 35 years (Adds detail, background)
TOKYO, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Japanese copper wire and cable shipments rose 2.9 percent from a year earlier in December on robust demand from carmakers, though orders from utilities plunged to a 35-year low as they cut back on spending in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, an industry body said on Monday.
Japan's appetite for copper, often seen as a gauge of economic activity and already weak in the wake of the global financial crisis, took a fresh beating after the March earthquake prompted user industries to reduce domestic production.
December shipments are estimated at 58,400 tonnes, down slightly from 60,429 tonnes in November, data from the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association showed.
Shipments for carmakers jumped 20.9 percent in December to 6,800 tonnes over the year earlier as auto firms boosted output to make up for losses following a post-quake slump and production halt in Thailand after devastating floods.
Those for the construction sector climbed 4.3 percent to 26,400 tonnes on growing reconstruction appetite.
The association said demand from power utilities hit its lowest in over three decades in December and that it expects appetite from the sector to have fallen to a 35-year low for the whole of 2011.
Utilities have suspended nuclear power stations and boosted purchases of oil and gas following the Fukushima crisis, straining their financial health and forcing them to cut back on capital spending. (Reporting by Yuko Inoue; Editing by Joseph Radford)
