China's National Energy Administration (NEA) chief called for solid preparations for winter energy and power supply during a visit to Jilin, as the country's northeast deepens reliance on external coal supplies amid falling domestic output.

Wang Hongzhi, director of the NEA, made the remarks during an inspection tour of Jilin from September 20-21 focused on energy investment, winter peak supply, new-type grid construction and new fuel development, according to the NEA.

He stressed the need to ensure residents stay warm through the winter.

Northeast China's three provinces have grown increasingly dependent on coal shipped in from other regions as domestic output has declined, particularly since June. Frequent extreme weather events could further challenge supply stability.

Although the region has broadly adopted a "store coal in summer for winter" strategy to secure heating fuel, spot purchases have persisted. As temperatures drop, winter stockpiling demand in the northeast has become rigid since mid-to-late September, with seasonal inventory building underway and downstream power plants and heating companies restocking as needed.

The overall foundation for winter coal supply in the northeast remains relatively solid, however. Eastern Inner Mongolia, one of China's five major coal supply bases, is the region's most critical nearby source. Output there is expected to rise steadily in 2026, significantly shortening transport distances and lowering supply costs.

A production stability notice jointly issued by three government departments on September 18 allows qualified coal mines operating above approved capacity to make up output through the end of December 2026, while pushing for the classified resumption of idled mines, directly adding supply flexibility for the winter stockpiling season.

During the visit, Wang and his delegation held talks with Jilin provincial authorities to review winter energy supply preparations, and inspected projects including concentrated solar power, green hydrogen-ammonia-methanol and oilfield smart microgrids.

Wang called for expanding energy investment and accelerating major project construction. He urged full efforts to advance new-type grid construction with appropriately front-loaded implementation, leveraging Jilin's resource advantages to develop new energy, hydrogen and green fuel industries, and broadening investment channels to attract private enterprises into energy projects. He also stressed the importance of work safety in supporting high-quality energy development.