(Yicai Global) Sept. 30 -- China’s top economic planning agency will introduce a set of measures to ensure stable and safe supply of energy for residents this winter and next spring following recent power rationing in northeastern China due to tight coal supply and other factors.

China plans to boost energy supply by raising domestic production and imports of coal and natural gas, the National Development and Reform Commission said at a press conference yesterday, and will promote the signing of medium and long-term coal contracts for power generation and heating to secure energy resources in advance.

The NDRC and relevant parties will guide local governments in the orderly use of energy, making dynamic adjustments and avoiding restrictions on energy use bu residents. Moreover, they will supervise power plants in raising coal storage above a safe level before winter and accelerate the construction of emergency backup and peak shaving capabilities, so as to ensure that gas stores are filled before the heating season starts.

In addition, local governments should ensure stable energy prices for people’s livelihood and for agriculture and the public welfare sector, and introduce a “base price plus fluctuations” market-based pricing guide for coal-fired power generation to lower its cost. Last but not least, they should resolutely curb unreasonable energy demand of projects with high energy consumption and heavy carbon emissions, and limit the use of coal by major coal-consuming industries.

The impact of rising international natural gas prices on people’s demand is manageable overall since China has promoted the construction of a production, supply, storage, and marketing system for natural gas, the NDRC said. The system has increased domestic reserves and production, strengthened overall import coordination, and accelerated the improvement of gas storage capacity, it added.

The NDRC also noted that due to steady economic growth and soaring electricity consumption for heating, the national power load is expected to gradually rise and may exceed this summer and last winter’s peaks.

Editor: Futura Costaglione