China's power demand for heating surged in recent days, amid interplays of strong cold air, winds and blizzards, which caused temperature plummet in many regions and challenged energy supply in the country.

 

To meet heating demand, electricity load on December 17 hit a record 1,242 GW, while gas consumption reached a peak of 1.423 billion cubic meters, up 8.3% and 10.8%, respectively, from last year's winter highs. Both are the highest levels in history for heating season.

 

In Anhui, the highest power load reached 51.24 GW on the evening of December 18, setting a new record for winter electricity load for three consecutive days. Twelve cities, including Hefei and Chuzhou, registered a new high in power load.

 

In Hebei, the maximum load of the power grid reached 44.86 GW on on December 17, an increase of 12% compared to the same period last year, also a record high.

 

The maximum load in the operating areas of State Grid Corporation of China was 990 GW, hitting the highest in winter.

 

Given the increase in electricity consumption, many provinces including Anhui, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu have issued documents advocating for energy conservation.

 

Under extreme weather conditions, energy supply has become a top priority. In order to ensure energy supply, relevant departments have already made advance arrangements, increased security efforts, and ensured stable supply of coal and electricity.

 

China has ensured stable energy supply. The country's coal production reached 3.83 billion tonnes during first ten months, a year-on-year increase of 3.1%.

 

The average coal production has maintained at a high level of over 12.7 million tonnes per day since the start of November, laying a solid foundation for maintaining supply this winter, the National Energy Administration said recently.

 

Meanwhile, the daily average power generation in China has reached 25.56 TWh, a year-on-year increase of 8.7%, while natural gas supply maintained around 1.25 billion cubic meters for eac day, up 5.8% day on day.

 

In terms of resource reserves, coal inventories at grid-connected power plants currently stand at over 200 million tonnes, sufficient for 26 days of use. Unplanned outages at coal-fired power stations remain at a relatively low level historically. Gas storage facilities, including underground reservoirs and LNG terminals, are well stocked at present, and crude oil stockpiles also remain elevated.

 

China's overall power supply can be guaranteed this winter, while some provinces in northwestern, eastern, southwestern, and southern China faced quite larger pressure, said Du Zhongming, director of the NEA's Electric Power Department.

 

Du pointed out that Yunan is currently in face of certain electricity shortage, and similar challenges are being faced during specific periods in western Inner Mongolia. Additionally, regions such as Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, and others are anticipated to encounter relatively tight electricity supply.

 

To ensure sufficient coal production and stable prices, the authorities will work with relevant parties to accelerate the construction of supply guarantee bases in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and Xinjiang.