Economy

China's power supply to meet demand this summer

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-10 22:37

BEIJING - An official with China's economic planning agency said on Thursday that the nation's power supply would meet its general demand, though regional black-outs are likely to occur during peak hours.

Liu Tienan, deputy minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said the electricity supply in Northeast and Northwest China would be adequate, while electric supplies in the more developed East, South and North China would be rather tight.

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The nation's power supply is complicated this summer as new problems arising from the economic recovery could have an impact upon power demands, Liu said during an industrial video conference.

China still faces grim conditions due to planned reductions in factory emissions, while the supply of coal used to generate electricity, along with unpredictable weather conditions, pose uncertainties to the power supply, Liu added.

He asked local authorities to ensure electricity remains available for people's homes, while placing a cap on the power used by power-guzzling industries.

Hospitals, schools and service industries, as well as those with low energy consumption, currently enjoy priority use of electricity.

Further, electricity should be guaranteed for the Shanghai World Expo and within the Yushu region in Northwest China which was hard hit by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in April.

Summer electricity supplies are an annual test for China's power generating system. Also, the situation has become more complicated in recent years as the supply of power coal, which generates 70 percent of the nation's electricity, fluctuates due to restructuring which occurs within the nation's major coal mines.