Coal piles up at the Port of Rizhao, East China's Shandong Province on November 28, 2021. Photo: VCG

China will put more efforts on securing the supplies of coal, oil and gas, especially during the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays, as the government made recent calls to stabilize market supplies.

The decision was made on the sidelines of the executive meeting of the State Council, China's cabinet, presided by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday.

While coal, electricity, crude and gas transportation are generally stable, and the supply of grain, oil, meat and vegetables is sufficient and with steady prices, more efforts are needed.

As next step, it is necessary to consolidate the responsibilities of the local governments and the enterprises in ensuring energy supply, according to the meeting.

Moreover, local governments need to be well prepared for dealing with uncertain factors such as severe weather and sudden epidemic outbreaks, the meeting said.

China's coal supplies have largely expanded with the lift of production caps and supplies at some major coal mines at Shanxi Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the expansion of imports from neighboring countries.

As of Sunday, 166 million tons of coal have been stored in power plants nationwide which can be used for 21 days, the highest level in history for the same period.

It is expected that the national electricity consumption and the highest electricity load will continue to grow rapidly in 2022, putting forward higher requirements for power supply, Li Yunqing, Director of the Economic Operation Regulation Bureau of the National Development and Reform Commission, said in a press conference Tuesday.

During the Chinese New Year, domestic coal producers will maintain normal output, transportation and sales to ensure adequate energy supply for the people and the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Li said.