China urges more coal imports to keep lights on

Jun 2, 2011 |en.sxcoal.com

China will encourage coal imports and urge miners to boost output to increase supplies to power plants, in a bid to ease the short supplies of fuels, China's economic planning agency said on June 1.

In the first four months, the price of international crude oil kept rising, and that of the imported coal was 100 yuan/t higher than that in domestic market, which crimped the country’s coal imports, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said.

The nation would take comprehensive measures to increase energy supplies and curb unreasonable demand, according to the NDRC.

The power crisis has been compounded by a drought in central China which is threatening to slash hydropower output, China's largest power source after coal.

Eleven out of China's 31 provinces and regions have introduced power use restrictions since May, the commission said in a report on its website (www.ndrc.gov.cn).

But it ordered grid firms to ensure power supplies to households and other important power users.