State Power Investment Corp has been stepping up energy supplies to meet the growing power demand. — Reuters
Beijing: China’s state-owned enterprises are making all-out efforts to ensure adequate and stable heating in the country in response to the ongoing cold snap and heavy snowfall across regions over the past week.
As the country has seen sudden frigid temperatures, triggering a sharp increase in heating demand, State Power Investment Corp has been stepping up energy supplies to meet the growing power demand, with overall thermal-coal inventories increasing to more than 18.5 million tonnes, which will last for more than a month, it said.
The company has also been diversifying energy resources and incorporating renewable options to enhance overall sustainability. It reported more than 29.3 billion kilowatt-hours of power generation since December, with renewable energy sources accounting for around 49.01%, it said.
On the other hand, natural gas production and supply have also been running at full swing at Changqing oilfield to ensure residents have warm homes during the winter, with daily natural gas output reaching 152 million cubic metres, said its operator China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC).
The oilfield, located in north-west China’s Ordos basin, is the nation’s largest oil-and-gas field, sending natural gas to more than 40 major cities, including Beijing and Tianjin. To ensure sufficient natural gas for this year’s winter-heating season, the oilfield has produced 49.2 billion cubic metres of natural gas so far this year, it said.
In addition to the Changqing oilfield, other key energy suppliers in northern regions – such as Daqing and Tarim oilfields – have all kicked into high gear to meet the heating needs of households during the cold months.
CNPC said it has also been stepping up efforts to diversify its gas sources, including developing domestic gas, imported pipeline gas and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG). Annual gas supply provided by the company accounts for more than 60% of total consumption of the energy resource nationwide, it said.
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, also known as Sinopec, launched the country’s largest LNG storage tank last month in Shandong province, with a storage capacity of 270,000 cubic metres.
With an additional gas storage capacity of 165 million cubic metres, which can meet the gas demand of 2.16 million households for five months during the winter, the LNG tank will further bolster natural-gas storage capacity and help meet peak-shaving and seasonal rebalancing demand in the country, it said.
An analyst said state-owned energy companies play a key role in guaranteeing ample energy and heating capacity to ensure reliable and sustainable energy supply.
Leading the charge, major energy corporations are investing in infrastructure upgrades to optimise the efficiency of power generation and distribution systems, said Luo Zuoxian, head of intelligence and research at the Sinopec Economics and Development Research Institute.
Strategic stockpiling of essential resources, along with improved coordination with regional authorities, have addressed potential challenges and minimised disruptions in heating services, Luo said.
The National Development and Reform Commission said on Tuesday that the country can secure sufficient energy supply for winter heating demand this year.
Storage of coal, a traditional key energy resource for heating, at the country’s power plants has been above 200 million tonnes, sufficiently ensuring coal demand for heating and power generation, it said. — China Daily/ANN
