Official: China Should Be Cautious in Using Natural Gas for Power

China should remain cautious while developing natural gas-fired power plants due to unstable fuel supply, Wang Yonggan, secretary-general of China Electricity Council (CEC), told a forum in Beijing on Sunday.

In East China, insufficient natural gas supply made gas-fired generators with a total installed capability of four million kilowatts stop working last year, Wang said.

Some gas-fired power stations in the southern parts of the country had to suspend production right after they started operation because of gas shortage, which worsened the situation in the power-hungry areas, he added.

China has been battling acute energy shortages as its economy roars ahead rapidly, with a growth rate of 9.9 percent last year. The total installed capability of natural gas power plants that cannot fully operate would reach six million kilowatts in 2006, which means a huge risk to the companies, Wang said.

Xinhua