China will ramp up coal supply for power generation, as high temperatures and quickened pace of economic recovery have pushed national demand for electricity higher, an official from the National Development and Reform Commission(NDRC) said on Tuesday. 

“Continued rising demand for electricity and lack of hydropower capacity due to seasonal factors have resulted in high pressure on coal supplies,” Jin Xiandong, an official from the country’s top economic planner, said during a press conference on Tuesday.

In July, China’s power generation reached 805.9 billion kilowatt hours, an increase of 4.5 percent year-on-year, 3.0 percentage points above the previous month; while over the first seven months this year, electricity consumption rose 3.4 percent from last year.

According to Jin, from August 1 to 14, the average daily coal consumption at coal-fired power plants stood at 8.16 million tons in the country, an increase of 15 percent over the same period last year, with 8.49 million tons of coal consumed on August 3, a record high.

Southwest China's Sichuan Province notified a large number of industrial enterprises in the province to suspend production for six days to guarantee household power supply, as high temperatures stretched the local power grid.

“In order to alleviate the pressure on the coal supply this summer, the NDRC has guided related enterprises to speed up the release of high-quality coal capacity, focusing on the implementation of medium- and long-term contracts signed by coal suppliers as well as strengthening the security of coal transport, in a bid to ensure sufficient coal supply amid continued heat waves,” Jin noted.

According to the official, in the first half of the year, the national coal production increased by11 percent. Recently, the highest coal stockpile of the country’s power plants reached 175 million tons, an increase of 74 million tons on a year-on-year basis.

In the future, the NDRC will urge the coal-producing provinces and regions to implement coal production and supply measures, continue to promote the acceleration of the release of high-quality coal production capacity and enhance the security of coal transportation.

Global Times