Workers conduct routing inspection of power transmission lines at Tanggulashan township of Golmud city in the Mongolian-Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Haixi, Northwest China's Qinghai province, June 3, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

State Council executive meeting urges strong sense of responsibility to meet electricity needs

China will take a raft of policy measures to ensure energy and electricity supplies during summer peak periods to better sustain economic recovery and improve people's well-being, according to decisions made at a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang on Friday.

The meeting noted that safe and stable supplies of energy and electricity have a direct bearing on the country's stability and people's well-being. Furthermore, China's economy is at a crucial stage of stabilization, recovery and industrial upgrading.

The meeting stressed that all parties concerned should shoulder a strong sense of responsibility and forge synergy, to see that energy and electricity needs are met.

According to forecasts by the China Electricity Council, the highest power demand in China this year will be around 1.37 billion kilowatts, an increase of around 80 million kW compared with 2022, or even 100 million kW higher in case of a prolonged period of widespread extreme weather.

All-out efforts will be made to scale up power supplies in key areas during peak periods by enhancing preparedness for possible scenarios and shoring up energy production and supply, according to the meeting.

Work will be done to more effectively ensure supplies of coal-fired power and keep prices stable. Policy steps such as fine-tuning electricity prices and leveraging fiscal and financial support will be implemented to help address the pressing concerns facing coal-fired power plants.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that from January to May, the country produced 1.91 billion tons of raw coal, up 4.8 percent year-on-year, as key coal-producing regions and enterprises went full steam ahead. More rigorous oversight over the performance of medium and long-term contracts for coal purchases will be enforced, the meeting said, adding that cross-departmental mechanisms for coordinated supply of coal, electricity, oil, gas and transportation services will be better harnessed.

Subnational governments should fulfill their responsibility within their jurisdictions, and the primary responsibility of energy enterprises in ensuring energy supplies must be fully enforced, to better meet people's essential needs and underpin economic and social development. All stakeholders should strengthen safety production, defuse potential risks and take firm measures to prevent any accidents, according to the meeting.

It was also decided to push ahead with the construction of public infrastructure in megacities capable of operating both under normal conditions and in emergencies in a well-paced manner. It's an important step to ensure both development and security, and promote high-quality urban development.

The initiative to build public infrastructure for both normal and emergency use was put forward during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on April 28.

Building new facilities and mobilizing existing ones will be better coordinated in order to put inefficient and idle resources to better use. Construction of new facilities, based on local conditions, will be advanced pursuant to relevant laws and regulations, the State Council executive meeting said.