MNI BRIEF: NDRC Securing Power Supply Amid Heat Waves

The government is working to ensure stable power supply and accelerate the development of energy production and infrastructure amid heatwaves sweeping the country, said Li Chao, deputy director and spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, on Thursday.

Coal reserves remain at a high level, which provides strong support for the peak summer power supply, Li said, noting recent netizens' comments that air conditioners in every household were running non-stop. 

China’s industrial electricity demand growth is likely to remain subdued through the rest of the year, as tighter usage rules aimed at curbing consumption make earlier forecasts of around 6% economy-wide growth increasingly difficult to achieve, local analysts told MNI. (See MNI: China's Energy Efficiency Push Squeezes Demand)