Power shortages, a chronic problem that started to plague China
in June 2002, could possibly be checked this year as more power
supply comes on line to meet growing demand.
"The gap between power supply and demand could be alleviated as
the installed capacity of China's generators has grown
dramatically," said Chairman Chai Songyue of the State Electricity
Regulatory Commission at a recent meeting.
He said that by March, only two provinces were hit by power
shortage. In June when power consumption entered the peak summer
period, only Zhejiang, Guangdong and Yunnan provinces used rolling
blackouts to avoid massive power outages. Last year, however, a
total of 25 provinces had to implement the same measures.
From January to June China produced 12 percent more electricity
year-on-year, with output rising to 1.27 trillion kwhs. Demand for
electricity approached 1.31 trillion kwhs, up 12.89 percent
year-on-year, Chai said.
(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2006)