World | Other World Stories
China warns power plants running out of coal
China's power plants are running out of coal, with less than three days' supply in some areas, the government said on Tuesday, adding to the country's logistical headaches amid earthquake relief efforts.
- AP
- Published: 12:54 May 20, 2008
-
'Over 70,000 dead, missing from quake'
China raises number of dead or missing from quake to over 70,000
-
China begins three days of mourning
Death toll from earthquake rises as China mourns victims
-
China declares three days of mourning
China declares three days of mourning
-
Strong new aftershock hits China
Earthquake death toll over 32,000 as new aftershock hits China
Beijing: China's power plants are running out of coal, with less than three days' supply in some areas, the government said on Tuesday, adding to the country's logistical headaches amid earthquake relief efforts.
Lack of fuel has forced 32 power plants to shut down, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission said in a report. It said two of those were in Sichuan province, where last
week's magnitude 7.9 quake damaged the power supply grid.
The agency's warning came three months after freak winter snowstorms caught power plants without adequate coal supplies in February, causing blackouts and factory shutdowns.
Utility companies let coal stocks run low after Beijing froze power prices last year to cool inflation but let market-set coal prices continue to rise. With the cost of coal at record highs, power generators are trying to avoid losses by purchasing less.
China relies on coal for 70 percent of its power.
The SERC gave no indication how Beijing might respond to the latest shortages. An employee who answered the phone in its press office referred questions to the Cabinet's National Development and Reform Commission. The NDRC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Power plants in the eastern province of Anhui have an average of just 2.8 days' supply of coal, while those in Beijing have 6.9 days' supply, the agency said. The recommended minimum is 15 days; a week's supply is considered the "danger line."
In Sichuan province, where the May 12 quake killed tens of thousands of people, power plants have an average of just seven days' supply of coal and two facilities have none, according to the agency.
In February, the government responded to coal shortages by keeping hundreds of mines running through the Chinese New Year to replenish stockpiles. But Tuesday's report suggested power plants let supplies run down after that.
Regulators have rejected appeals by utility companies to raise power prices.
China's power demand is growing at double-digit annual rates, driven by a boom that saw the economy expand by 10.6 percent in the first quarter of this year.
Share this article
Related Articles
News Editor's choice
-
Graham 'honoured to host' Palin for dinner
'America's pastor' had never met the former Alaska governor
-
Run-off to decide Romania president
New man in office vital to clinching much-needed IMF bailout loan
-
Cumbria mops up after severe flooding
Homes and businesses remain cut off
