China sees spikes in power demand over economic recovery, winter

BEIJING - China has reported spikes in electricity demand amid steady economic recovery and lower temperatures since December, according to China's economic planner on Thursday.

The electricity supply stress mainly hit Central China's Hunan province and East China's Jiangxi province, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement, noting that residents are not affected in most areas and the overall electricity supply is stable.

In the first ten days of December, Hunan saw its electricity supply, generated or received from the outside, up by 19.8 percent year-on-year, with the maximum electricity load in winter setting a record.

In the same period, Jiangxi's power supply climbed by 18.4 percent year-on-year, with its maximum power consumption load reaching a record high, beating the previous record set in the summer.

The economic planner attributed the stress to the economic recovery since the provinces both registered higher growth rates in value-added industrial output than the national average between January and November.

It also attributed the stress to cold weather. Hunan and Jiangxi have experienced unusually low temperatures this month. These regions rely heavily on electricity for heating.

The economic planner pledged efforts to increase the power supply in these areas to ensure people's lives will not be affected.

China's National Energy Administration announced a series of measures on Thursday aimed at securing the power supply. It said power-grid companies should optimize their operations, strengthen the maintenance of their power transmission and transformation facilities, and improve the capability of cross-region electricity allocation.