China Power Output Hits Record; Some Firms Face Rationing

BEIJING, Aug. 16 -- China's daily power output hit a record on Thursday, and a growing number of regions had to shift some power demand from peak hours, while some firms faced rationing to limit demand, the National Development and Reform Commission said on Friday.

Electricity generation reached a peak of 13.932 billion kilowatt hours on Thursday as a new heat wave baked many parts of southern China, the commission said in a report on its website (www.ndrc.gov.cn)

The volume was 14.2 percent higher than the peak level last summer, it said.

Curbs on power use, mostly on some energy intensive and high polluting firms, were introduced in eastern Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Shanghai, as well as southern Guangdong and southwestern Yunnan in order to ensure supplies to residents.

But coal stocks in key power plants, which are feedstocks for generating about 80 percent of China's power output, were at 60.66 million tonnes as of Aug 10, enough for 18 days of generation, while inventories at Qinhuangdao, a key port for coal shipments, were also at a normal level of 7.1 million tonnes, the commission said.

Coal stocks at power plants were enough for 19 days of generation as of July 29.