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. $ N2 @2 l* P; a$ u( M4 A
; V- P# k1 Z t: h2 o! J "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. & S t1 i5 V7 i: y$ F/ Z' u) A
5 v$ i: T7 m; J6 ~ 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. ) [6 n& {$ y& y* m 4 Q7 R' v# L* l$ }4 q4 h 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. 0 ?$ s% s2 l) F8 a0 \
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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. 5 [5 j' k" M, b0 z% g/ m4 i8 d9 K: ]9 _, g
"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. v; T' @1 ~0 d; I4 l & O: ?" a/ U' E" ~3 p' h4 A6 v Li Tongzhi, vice-general manager of the Beijing Electric Power Company, told reporters that the city has invested 1.53 billion yuan (US$189 million) in upgrading the capital's grid so far this year. 3 M+ L9 [' |: O/ y6 E2 | % r; C4 n4 L, g3 T9 d" o- k4 W Beijing also use pricing leverage to try to level consumption, said Zhang, adding that factories would be encouraged operate outside peak power-usage hours. ; A' _- d$ W+ m p+ i6 R( ]: ~
0 j! R3 W% C' D9 x# s5 Q) Y# `* O 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$0.03). & }9 s& s6 }3 ^: l( g4 i( u! ` # j0 h' W* q9 u8 p1 J "Such measures have greatly reduced the power consumption load in the city over the past two years," said Zhang, adding that a compensation system would be adopted for firms which voluntary adjust their consumption. M2 n1 d9 |8 S$ B# |; n# R1 s4 R& {9 S% u
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. 2 _+ ~' X' s% I* u [7 d) I4 M( _# y3 ^# M1 u2 x
Schools, hospitals and government and military units will adopt differential seasonal power prices next year to conserve electricity, said the official. , H3 e1 s. E, c" g0 N7 x# ?
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"Air conditioners in government offices should be kept at 26 C at the minimum," said Chen. 9 V! \; a+ m7 Q
! g) w+ c. }. U; x6 o0 L& L+ h "Through this, hundreds of thousands of kilowatts-hours of the peak hour power consumption load can be saved." 0 ]) I! H' ?- r3 ]" e; o& t0 H+ N$ p6 A3 A& K) \
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. 7 p1 ?. q7 c4 I! J+ U( S . e$ s5 v" {' W: |8 s# S 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.% E, q- P1 p( Z, n
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(Source: China Daily)-%-13189-%--%-13585-%-