Twenty-one Chinese provincial power grids have been obliged to
impose blackouts since this January as a result of the surging
demand for power caused by the cold winter and rapid economic
growth, the State Grid Corporation said Friday.?
Liu Zhenya, general manager of the corporation, said at an
on-going work conference that the power load has grown since the
winter set in, with the peak generating capacity up to more than 6.
4 billion kwh per day, a year-on-year rise of 15.1 percent.
Three regional power grids, covering China's north, northeast
and northwest areas, together with 14 provincial power grids,
reported the peak power consumption loads in history, Liu said.
The gap between the power supply and demand will face further
threats in winter from the lower generation of both hydropower and
thermal power, because of the shortage of rainfall and coal, he
acknowledged.
He said the corporation has mapped out specific measures to ease
the problem and to ensure power supply during the traditional
Spring Festival, China's lunar new year for family reunion.
Special checks of power generation security will be launched to
guarantee sufficient power for common residents' daily life,
government departments, hospitals, media groups, transportation,
mines and other important customers.
The corporation will rely on cross-regional power transfer to
balance supplies in different areas and direct industrial users to
ward off peak consumption times.
China's consumption of electric power is forecast to reach 2,
425 billion kwh in 2005, and power shortage will stay above 20
million kilowatts in summer.
The corporation is planning to develop an extra-high-voltage
power transmission network, which will carry the power from the
west to the energy-thirsty east at much lower costs in
transportation and environment, Liu said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2005)