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China now faces a 69.63 million kilowatt electricity supply shortfall,
and a total of 13 provincial level power grids have been temporarily
switched off to limit power usage, the People’s Daily reported.

The Central China Power Grid, which covers the provinces of Jiangxi,
Hubei, Hunan and Sichuan, as well as Chongqing Municipality, has begun to
ration electricity to Hubei, Sichuan and Chongqing due to an acute
shortage in coal stockpiles and strained coal transportation affected by
adverse weather conditions, the Beijing News reported on Tuesday.

The region covered by the Central China Power Grid now has only 5.57
million tons of coal remaining, only half that of the normal level, and
enough to meet only seven days of consumption volume, earlier reports
said.

Statistics from the State Power Control Center shows the country burned
2.1 million tons of coal for power generation on January 20, while
national stock dropped to 17.73 million tons from 20 million tons on
January 10.

An insider with the State Grid was quoted by the Beijing News as noting
that the national inventory of coal must be kept at no less than 14
million tons by the end of this month in order to ensure stable power
supplies.

An official with the China Coal Transportation and Marketing
Association said that since some coal mines in Shanxi Province have been closed
for safety overhauls, production in the coal-rich province has dropped
sharply, and is now barely enough to supply local power plants.

Meanwhile, the recent widespread snowfall in the central and eastern
parts of the country have affected some railways and roads, delaying
transportation. Power consumption has also surged significantly in the
winter season.

To address the rapidly decreasing coal supply, the State Grid has
requested that the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)
commence a demand-side management strategy to maximize available resources,
the paper reported.

The country’s top economic planning agency has responded by vowing to
guarantee the continued operation of key power plants and arrange for
coal transportation to power generators.