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No electricity crisis in China: CEC

By Ben Yue (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-05-27 14:45

The China Electricity Council (CEC) denied there is a countrywide electricity crisis, calling the situation a "regional, seasonal, occasional" shortage, China News Agency reported on Thursday.

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CEC officials said the country's demand for electricity this summer will increase by 12 to 14 percent compared to last year. Provinces in the east and central regions of China will face a shortage of electricity, while provinces in the northeast and northwest will have a surplus.

Industries which consume high amounts of energy sparked the shortage. Insiders said those industries – which together used 30 percent of the energy consumed nationwide – will be the first target for the government's power rationing, China Securities Journal reported on Friday.

The newspaper also said people in the market are worried that a cut in energy may lift the prices of their products.

Experts from the CEC said they want to improve the cross-regional grid, which can quickly transport electricity generated in China's western regions to other regions across the country.