China's power grid situation is getting worse, as bad weather, theft and violations of working rules seriously endanger safety operation during the summer, the State Grid Corporation of China (SG) said Wednesday.

"The natural environment for power facilities is deteriorating. Bad weather, such as lightening, hurricanes and ice, raises the probability of grid accidents," the corporation said.

"Outside damage and natural disasters have become significant issues endangering grid security. They bring great trouble to the power supply for this summer's peak season," it said.

In the first six months of the year, the corporation reported that 52 accidents (24.4 percent of the total) were caused by mountain fires, theft, working irregularities and other outside forces, statistics show.

Accidents caused by lightening, gales, rainstorms and other natural disasters numbered 28, accounting for 13.1 percent of the total.

In February, light rail, railway and highway traffic was temporarily halted in the capital because thieves stole electric wires from the Beijing municipal power supply bureau.

The security of the power supply has become a serious issue for the rapidly growing economy of China, according to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

In 2003, China's electricity consumption surged 15.4 percent over the previous year to 1.89 trillion kwh, setting a record high for the past 25 years.

The bad situation continued this year.

"China may be facing the most severe power shortage since the 1980s, with a total gap of around 30 million kilowatts between electricity demand and supply this summer," said Zhao Xizheng, the corporation's General Manager.

The corporation said that it hopes all social sectors will work together for the protection of power facilities to create a favorable external environment for the country's power supply and to ensure normal electricity consumption.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2004)