Power shortages unlikely: Official

The country will be free from major power shortages this year, but some regions may suffer temporary blackouts in the summer, a senior figure from the national electricity regulator said yesterday.

"We estimate the gap between power supply and demand will be 10 gigawatts (GW). Only high-consuming provinces such as Guangdong will see face shortages during the summer peak time," Wang Yeping, vice-chairman of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC), told reporters in Beijing.

Thanks to the development of the power sector, it is unlikely there will be any nationwide shortages, such as we have had in the past, Wang said.