BEIJING, Jan. 26 -- China's Transport Ministry yesterday ordered ports to
temporarily stop loading coal for exports as the country struggles to meet
domestic needs amid mounting power shortages.
The coldest winter with the
most snow in decades has left millions of Chinese without heating and running
water, causing mounting losses from power shortages and other damage.
The Transport Ministry's emergency notice, posted on its Website, ordered
railways and other transport networks to make hauling coal and food a priority
over coming weeks. Ocean shippers should stop loading coal for export and divert
shipments, if needed, "for domestic thermal coal requirements," it said.
It warned of "severe" consequences for failing to comply with the order, to
stay in effect through the Lunar New Year holiday in February.
It was unclear the amount of coal shipments that would be affected by the
order.
On Wednesday, the economic planning agency ordered the country's utility
companies and coal suppliers to cooperate in combatting power shortages that
have forced more than a dozen provinces to ration electricity.
Chronic winter time shortfalls of coal, used to fuel three quarters of
China's electricity supply, have been aggravated by disruptions to transport
networks due to unusually heavy snow.
In some areas, snow has also damaged power grids: storms felled three power
transmission towers on Wednesday along a major line of the Three Gorges Dam,
disrupting a link in central China's transmission system, Xinhua news agency
reported.
Coal shortages have worsened due to friction over prices for coal and
electricity. Coal suppliers are pushing for higher prices, while utilities have
chafed at caps on electricity rates that prevent them from passing higher costs
for coal on to customers.
(Source: Shanghai Daily)
Coal shortages, transport problems cause power gaps
BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- China is experiencing a power gap of up to 69.63 million kilowatts (kw) as a coal shortage cuts generation at some plants, according to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC).
The shortage has led 13 provincial-level regions, including Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan and Guangdong to ration electricity, SERC chairman You Quan said. Full story
