Coal shortages aggravate China power woes
China’s central province of Hunan announced plans on Monday to cut residential power use in its capital and power-rich Guizhou shut 20 percent of generators as the country’s worst summer power shortage since 2004 loomed.
The moves follow reports that more than a dozen Chinese provinces have begun to ration power supplies because soaring coal costs and declining supply have cut into electricity generation at a time when demand is set to soar.
To cope with the deficit, Changsha, the capital of Hunan, aims for a 20 percent cut in residential power use in summer, as coal supply has become tight even before the arrival of peak summer demand, the province said on its website (www.hunan.gov.cn).
Changsha will advocate power saving and also try to secure coal supply for power plants, the site said, citing the capital’s party secretary, Chen Run’er.
The measures, discussed by government officials on Sunday, will be led by local government departments and officials, who will turn off office lights during the day, prohibit lighting in corridors and toilets, and rein in power use in hotels, entertainment venues and other public places.
“Changsha will try to minimise the impact of power rationing on residents while taking economic and administrative measures to save power,” city mayor Zhang Jianfei said.
GUIZHOU SHORTAGE
Power supply in southwestern China’s Guizhou province, a major power provider to coastal Guangdong, has trailed demand by about 0.9 gigawatts (GW) this month, though its exports to Guangdong have not been undermined so far this year.
Power flows to Guangdong reached as high as 7 GW in the first half and will rise further when demand peaks in the booming coastal province, according to a local grid operator.
Guizhou has only recently recovered from severe winter ice storms that paralysed its trunk grid networks and half its generating capacity.
Guizhou has 20 GW of power generating capacity connected to its trunk grid, nearly 30 percent of it hydropower. Electricity output of some plants is designated for delivery to Guangdong.
But coal shortages have forced the closure of around 4 gigawatts, or 20 percent, of generating capacity that is connected to the provincial grid, a local source said on Monday.
“Power output from hydropower plants was fairly high, but that could not offset losses from coal-fired plants,” said the person, who is familiar with local power operations.
Coal stocks at major coal-fired power plants were at 1.9 million tonnes as of late last week and were distributed unevenly.
“Some plants have 500,000-600,000 tonnes, while some others were holding only several tonnes,” the person said.
Guizhou sent 12.8 billion kilowatt hours of electricity to Guangdong in the first half of this year, 13.03 percent more than a year earlier.
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