According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), China’s power generation increased in July by 11.5 per cent from the equivalent figure a year earlier, reaching a record 377.64 TWh, as demand peaked amid scorching temperatures in many parts of the country.
Even though China’s electricity generation capacity continues to grow, the China Electricity Council (CEC) has said that the rate of growth is likely to decline if high coal prices continue to eat away at profit margins.
China Huaneng Group, one of China’s five power giants, has announced that it will undertake a nuclear power project in Heilongjiang.
North China’s Shaanxi province saw its electricity use increase 26.4 per cent year on year to 286.52 TWh in the first four months of 2010, according to statistics from the Shaanxi Statistics Bureau.
Kenya has received a $330 million loan from the World Bank to boost power generation. The fund is aimed at deepening investment in green energy and expanding access to electricity across the country, as part of the Kenya Electricity Expansion Project.
Dwindling coal supplies have prompted eastern China’s Anhui province to activate an emergency plan ahead of schedule, limiting electricity use by more than 5000 local enterprises at peak times to ensure that there is no disruption to domestic supply.
The Indian Government, which has long sought to protect local power equipment makers from Chinese rivals, is planning to introduce stricter efficiency norms that may make it difficult for Chinese manufacturers to compete even for private sector orders.
China’s thermal coal supply is likely to remain relatively tight for the rest of the year as demand is expected to grow and supply constraints remain, according to the China Electricity Council.
China’s first offshore wind farm, a 102MW array is due to come to full power by the end of April 2010, is located in the Yangtze River delta near Shanghai.
China’s power industry may incur losses this year as rising coal prices may take the sheen off the 9 per cent growth in consumption.