China to see power supply and demand in tight balance this summer

China's power supply and demand will be in a tight balancing act this summer as the hot weather pushes up electricity demands, Zhang Guobao, head of the National Energy Administration, said Thursday.

Zhang, who is also the vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planning body, said at a conference that the country's power generation has jumped quickly since July, with daily electricity generation reaching 12.5 billion kilowatt-hours.

According to data from the National Power Dispatch and Communication Center, the nation's daily power generation reached a record 12.9 billion kilowatt-hours on July 5, up 6 percent from the past record which occurred on July 21 last year.

But with increased hydropower production and sufficient coal stockpiles at power plants, China's electricity supply would meet basic needs, Zhang said.

China's hydropower output gained 29.4 percent in June to reach 7.15 billion kilowatt-hours, easing pressure on coal supply and contributing 33.9 percent of the country's power generation growth, according to a statement posted on the NDRC's website.

The statement also said that as of July 4, the country's 429 major power plants had 58.07 million tonnes of coal stockpiles, enough for 18 days of use, an increase of 2 days compared with the end of May.

Source:Xinhua