Energy firms ensure adequate power supplies this summer amid higher average temperatures
View of a coal site operated by CHN Energy Investment Group in Cangzhou, Hebei province, in July. (FU XINCHUN / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Energy companies, guided by the authorities and striving to boost reliance on renewable sources, are rallying to ensure stable power supplies as heat waves continue to affect multiple regions in China.
Government departments and related enterprises are actively promoting the development of new energy sources to significantly supplement coal-fired power. Meanwhile, thermal power generators are operating at full capacity, while grid corporations are going all out to enable the safe and smooth transmission of electricity.
Officials and experts said China is capable of ensuring stable and adequate power supplies despite the challenges posed by persistently high temperatures and frequent extreme weather, as well as higher electricity demand due to the country's ongoing economic recovery.
While power supplies have been assured, a gradual increase in the proportion of renewable energy sources in the power system poses challenges to stability, experts said, adding that their intermittent nature and lack of flexibility need to be addressed.
Regions will need to formulate solutions if there is a tight supply-demand situation in the future, and mobilizing demand-side resources and preparing adjustable power loads should be prioritized, experts said.
"This year, high temperatures arrived early and affected a large area. Unusual and scorching heat waves have been observed in some northern regions of China, leading to a rapid increase in electricity demand. Meanwhile, the economic rebound in the first half and reduced water flows in the southwest in early summer, have posed a significant challenge to ensuring stable power supplies," said Wang Yang, a researcher at the National Climate Center.
One of the main reasons for the rapid increase in electricity demand this summer is the high average temperatures, Ou Hong, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a recent news conference.
For every degree increase in temperature above 28 C, the national cooling load may increase by about 50 million kilowatts.
"Currently, in many provinces, air conditioners account for more than 40 percent of the total electricity load during the peak demand period, and in some major cities, the number exceeds 50 percent," Ou said.
According to the NDRC, since the start of summer, China's daily dispatched electricity reached a record high of 30.171 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 1.511 billion kWh compared with the peak of last year. The country's peak power load also hit a historic high at 1.339 billion kW, up 49.5 million kW compared with last year.
Responding to challenges
Several State-owned and private enterprises have proactively ensured power supplies.
Coal companies have ramped up extraction of high-quality coal while maintaining safety measures and streamlining coal transport.
At Hudong Station in Datong, Shanxi province, coal-laden trains, each weighing 20,000 metric tons, depart roughly every 12 minutes. This station is a pivot alongside the Daqin Railway, China's first heavy-duty coal rail line. It transports fossil fuels from the coal-rich provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, to cities in need.
Alongside the railway are several coal enterprises that have stepped up production to ensure supplies. At a mine in north Shanxi, operated under ChinaCoal Pingshuo Group, a fleet of 15 heavy-duty electric excavators and hundreds of 200 to 300-ton self-unloading trucks are at work. The estimated production volume of the mine for July was 2.9 million tons, marking what would be the mine's highest output since it began operations.
During the first half, its parent company, China National Coal Group Corp's coal output touched 120 million tons, a year-on-year growth of 5.6 percent. The group's sales volume stood at 170 million tons, a 7.3 percent yearly increase.
CHN Energy Investment Group, the country's largest coal producer, recorded about 300 million tons of coal production and 410 million tons in sales during the first half.
Coal companies are producing more, and power plants scattered across regions are stepping up coal purchases to bolster inventories.
According to the NDRC, as of late July, the country's coal reserves in grid-dispatched power plants stood at 198 million tons, an increase of over 23 million tons from the same period last year, enough for nearly 26 days of use.
Sufficient coal supply has proved to be a strong support for power generators to work at full capacity.
As of June 26, the 234 power generation units at State Power Investment Corp Ltd, one of the largest power generation groups in the country, were reportedly running at maximum capacity to increase electricity supply.
In Hubei province, a unit of a coal-fired power generator under energy group China Three Gorges Corp, passed 168 hours during a trial run operating at full capacity by mid-July.
China Huadian Corp Ltd's Sichuan branch saw its seven 2.8-million-kW units of fossil fuel generators start operations in early June, with a daily peak electricity output of 87 million kWh.
Employees handle an intelligent coal-mining system in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region in July. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Best results
The efforts have yielded substantial results in ensuring power supplies.
In the first half, CHN Energy reported historic highs in total power generation of 571.1 billion kWh. China Huadian said its coal-fired power generation grew 10.3 percent year-on-year to 252.6 billion kWh in the same period. China National Coal Group's power generation hit 41.1 billion kWh in the first six months, 15.3 billion kWh more than last year.
While coal-fired power continues to play a crucial role in stable energy supplies, renewable energy has further solidified its position as the primary driver of new power capacity in China this year. Its role in safeguarding energy supplies and promoting a clean, low-carbon transformation is becoming increasingly prominent.
"Since the beginning of this year, CHN Energy has initiated the construction of 8.54 million kW of new energy power generation facilities, of which 5.52 million kW have started operations, both achieving first-half historic highs. Photovoltaic installations have surpassed 20 million kW for the first time, and wind power installations have reached around 54.91 million kW, including over 4 million kW of offshore wind power," said Huang Qing, spokesperson of CHN Energy.
In mid-July, the world's first 16-megawatt offshore wind turbine was connected to the grid and started operations in Fujian province, marking the largest in terms of capacity globally. The turbine generates over 66 million kWh of "green electricity" annually, which is enough to power the annual energy needs of 36,000 three-person households. This is equivalent to saving around 22,000 tons of standard coal per year.
Meanwhile, timely water storage measures have ensured hydropower capacity to meet electricity demand during peak times despite the challenge of reduced water flows in Southwest China.
On July 11 and 12, hydropower generation capacity set records, exceeding 32 million kW, playing a crucial role in maintaining stable power supplies during peak periods, the NDRC said.
In order to mitigate the intermittent, random, and fluctuating nature of new energy sources and strengthen their role in ensuring power supplies, the National Energy Administration has launched various measures, said Liu Mingyang, an NEA official.
These include improving the accuracy of forecasts for new energy power generation, establishing an appropriate proportion of energy storage facilities, and promoting the integrated use of wind, solar, hydro and thermal energy sources, Liu said.
In addition to bolstering supply efforts, power grid enterprises are enhancing dispatch mechanisms and increasing investments in grid construction and improvement.
State Grid Corp of China, whose grid network covers around 88 percent of the country's area, said it has accelerated the progress of 239 key projects for peak summer demand and stepped up efforts for daily equipment checks and maintenance.
China Southern Power Grid, serving five provinces and municipalities in the south including Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hainan, as well as Hong Kong and Macao, said these areas have faced rising electricity demand due to high temperatures. They have implemented 16 measures to ensure power supplies and conducted annual checks on 13 direct-current projects.
At a conference in July, Ou of the NDRC highlighted the importance of optimizing grid resources and utilizing cross-province transmission channels to achieve efficient interprovincial electricity exchange and accurate load management.
Ensuring adequate power supplies involves both short-term and long-term strategies. In the short- to medium-term, coal-fired power will serve as a cornerstone to ensure power supply stability, while pumped storage hydropower can address needs in peak time, said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University.
Over the long term, new energy will play a more important role in power supplies, Lin said.
"Coal-fired power will serve as a foundational and flexible power source in certain periods, especially during extreme climate events, without compromising China's achievement of decarbonization goals or energy structure optimization. There are also innovative decarbonization measures being promoted in this area," he said.
"Moreover, although the installed capacity of coal-fired power continues to rise, the utilization hours are gradually decreasing. New energy sources, while volatile and intermittent, can be transformed into stable power sources by implementing extensive pumped hydro storage and new types of energy storage facilities for peak shaving and valley filling to optimize grid systems," Lin said.
