China short of 30m kw power supply this summer
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-06-16 22:00

China may be facing the most severe situation of power shortage since the 1980s, with a gap of 30 million kilowatts between electricity demand and supply this summer, said General Manager Zhao Xizheng of the State Power Grid Company Wednesday.

Zhao made the remark at a meeting on summer's power supply. "Measures will be taken to enhance safe production and management over the demand side," he said.

Accelerating development of power-intensive machinery, auto, steel and manufacturing sectors, the growing pace of urbanization and low energy efficiency are blamed for China's extensive shortage of energy.

A total of 24 provincial areas imposed power brownouts in the past few months. China is now in the middle stage of industrialization phase characterized by faster development of energy-extensive machinery, auto, iron and steel sectors, said Xu Dingming, a leading official with the Energy Bureau of the State Development and Reform Commission.

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