BEIJING, May 31 -- Beijing will not impose compulsory brownouts or power-downs for factories this summer despite a predicted energy shortage, a senior city official said yesterday. ( P/ d; a5 B0 z$ L+ W' Y
! D- Q8 v0 k2 L, [6 N! m5 u7 X "Peak power consumption is expected to top 12.2 million kilowatts, or 14.6 per cent higher than last year," said Zhang Gong, vice-director of the Beijing Development and Reform Commission. ) I7 W1 K3 j- U: P) k0 u- D1 n' o( J+ |3 B4 k4 K
Speaking at a press conference Zhang said the electricity shortage during peak periods this summer could reach 5 million kilowatts, or even 7.3 million kilowatts in some parts of the capital. E; T: e; `) M* O8 @; b 0 n! y- K+ f K5 v/ {5 F! x: [. l& w Limited power generation, slow grid construction, a rapid increase in consumption, skyrocketing prices for coal and hydro-electric power and uncertain weather will create a sharp contradiction between demand and supply, Zhang warned. / E( d6 b/ a% w% \6 a
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To deal with the shortage, Beijing's local government will shift from administrative control measures to a long-term technology-oriented plan, said the official. ; @( G* k( ]) E. g
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"Beijing's grid is a typical power recipient, which means two-thirds of its electricity comes from other provinces," said Chen Tiecheng, a commission official in charge of power and coal management. % D' Z, t1 ]* F
$ Q( H% p2 S8 e Li Tongzhi, vice-general manager of the Beijing Electric Power Company, told reporters that the city has invested 1.53 billion yuan (US$189 million) in upgrading the capital's grid so far this year. 3 R( ?! e- ^$ X* n. Y; Q " H$ ?; _9 d: t8 o Beijing also use pricing leverage to try to level consumption, said Zhang, adding that factories would be encouraged operate outside peak power-usage hours. f# e; M9 \3 L1 U5 a9 c& M" C1 ~$ [
- V3 I& g9 x! I, Q At peak hours, power costs 1.1 yuan (US$0.14) per kilowatt-hour, versus a lowest off-peak price of 0.26 yuan (US$0.03). . B4 }* N. u, C; X
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"Such measures have greatly reduced the power consumption load in the city over the past two years," said Zhang, adding that a compensation system would be adopted for firms which voluntary adjust their consumption. 6 G9 h8 K2 b6 g/ v6 s
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Other measures will include differential seasonal power prices, raising the temperature of air conditioners, and installing ice air conditioners which stockpile ice during non-peak hours. 7 {3 @2 `/ j, d B7 q% l& d/ E. E5 ?" ` Schools, hospitals and government and military units will adopt differential seasonal power prices next year to conserve electricity, said the official. ( K- ^2 W& t% W6 ~/ O$ t: V1 m5 g/ ]
"Air conditioners in government offices should be kept at 26 C at the minimum," said Chen. 9 @7 N5 H7 C8 C( |# {' y $ f" T; V5 Q: T: ~: M "Through this, hundreds of thousands of kilowatts-hours of the peak hour power consumption load can be saved." 7 t" b2 K. A, F$ ^# ]- \5 C# r; e$ M9 _ J$ B- D
The municipal government will map out compulsory standards that request every new building whose refrigeration area surpasses 30,000 square metres to install ice air conditioners, added Zhang. & O& M3 r! P- E) ~, o' v
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At present there are 51 ice air conditioners in Beijing. There are expected to be 78 by the end of the year, saving 50,000 kilowatts-hours of power consumption during peak times.# M4 h7 l9 }& i: o$ {1 j' v
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(Source: China Daily)-%-13189-%--%-13585-%-