Beijing tries ways to tackle power gap By Jiang Zhuqing (China Daily) Updated: 2004-08-06 10:10
Beijing municipal authorities are beset by how to solve a power shortage
problem facing the city as its power consumption is expected to reach a record
9.5 million kilowatts this summer.
"Beijing's grid is a typical power recipient, which means two-thirds of all
its electrical demand depend on power transmissions from Shanxi and Hebei
provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and northeastern provinces,"
said Chen Tiecheng, an official in charge of power and coal management at the
Beijing Development and Reform Commission.
The power consumption load nationwide has continued to increase this summer
and 24 provincial areas have already imposed power brownouts over the past few
months, Chen said.
"Even Beijing is not immune to the crisis," Chen said at a press conference
organized mainly for overseas reporters. "The highest power consumption load
reached 9.43 million kilowatts on July 23, which is 1.1 million kilowatts higher
than last year's figure."
Experts predict the electricity shortage during peak times this summer could
reach 30 million kilowatts in China.
To tackle the serious problem, Beijing has adopted a series of measures that
have helped save 398,000 kilowatts of power per day, he noted.
Xie Zhiguo, vice-general economic administrator of the Beijing Electric Power
Company (BEPC), told reporters that Beijing has invested 1.26 billion yuan
(US$152 million) to upgrade the capital's current grid during the past half
year.
"Such a measure has greatly improved the power consumption load in the city,"
said Xie, adding that the consumption peak hours may reappear in the coming days
when the temperature surpass 30 C.
Thanks to effective measures, he noted, the power supply situation in Beijing
has remained stable and most citizens have suffered no power brownouts this
summer.
He also disclosed that Beijing will invest another 23 billion yuan (US$2.8
billion) in power programmes to ensure the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will go
off smoothly.
Xie predicted the power consumption load will hit 13 million kilowatts by the
year 2008.
The municipal government has issued a special notice, demanding the whole
city take emergency measures to conserve electricity as well as guarantee power
generation through enhancing coal transportation and water reserves in the Ming
Tombs Reservoir.
Such measures include the adoption of differential seasonal power prices,
raising the temperatures on air conditioners, a rotation of weekly vacations and
collective holidays among the staffs of factories and companies.
For example, "Air conditioners in government offices, units and enterprises
are urged to be kept at 26 C at the minimum," Chen said. "Through this, 43,000
kilowatts of the peak hour power consumption load can be saved."
To deal with possible emergency situations, the BEPC has signed contracts on
power control or non-peak-hour power consumption with more than 1,000
enterprises, construction sites, restaurants and hotels in the capital, said the
official.
"We fully understand the power shortage situation in Beijing and will
contribute our efforts to the power-saving campaign," said Zhao Tong, general
manager of the SMC (China) Co Ltd, a foreign-funded enterprise in Beijing
Economic and Technological Development Area.
His firm has enjoyed lots of purchasing orders, he told reporters, and normal
production of the two SMC plants in the development area have not been disturbed
by power shortages.
Meanwhile, SMC's third plant, which is located in Beijing Tianzhu Export
Processing Area, has adopted a rotation vacation system at the request of local
government since the middle of July.
"Workers in the plant are arranging to work on weekends and to take holidays
on Thursday and Wednesday," he said.
