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. 1 }% S G3 Z# ?" p8 E5 ^
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"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. , d& z/ k' q9 b7 Z( F- t ?
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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. 0 b- p6 h; ?. ~1 x( F . W0 z9 S" d. W" P; E1 L* X 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. $ J5 ?4 _5 t* B1 v+ ~ / h/ a1 w! ]$ R9 c 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. ) M1 X3 H3 ?4 D+ w: o+ R0 _# s' @
1 |! H m. ~4 @3 P2 o "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. " z) o! m+ V1 C 3 I4 b' ?0 c* P 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. : V) Q7 r7 J: T1 T; a; x # V, N- l d+ z6 r; k5 y Beijing also use pricing leverage to try to level consumption, said Zhang, adding that factories would be encouraged operate outside peak power-usage hours. $ a7 K8 V2 U9 O8 F0 e # h. S V9 {$ E$ u8 X1 c 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$0.03). " s% Y) P9 h- j9 f! h3 y, H, {
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"Such measures have greatly reduced the power consumption load in the city over the past two years," said Zhang, adding that a compensation system would be adopted for firms which voluntary adjust their consumption. # X7 H. W8 A! \" P. [, O6 Z! r " ~; ^' e* ?, `7 F Other measures will include differential seasonal power prices, raising the temperature of air conditioners, and installing ice air conditioners which stockpile ice during non-peak hours. 7 I+ {, N: J( ^8 v( n
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Schools, hospitals and government and military units will adopt differential seasonal power prices next year to conserve electricity, said the official. + j, k$ [! }! h5 y4 Q
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"Air conditioners in government offices should be kept at 26 C at the minimum," said Chen. 4 P" M6 N* g9 \) D
3 V1 H# {) f, v "Through this, hundreds of thousands of kilowatts-hours of the peak hour power consumption load can be saved." 0 E- {" M# J8 i& ]& \/ ~" z/ T$ k4 `3 e% o) ]
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. ) u: `* C+ h+ Z6 m& L. C/ {3 L ( x3 P. A& \3 X+ t$ y 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. 1 w) x& X# T$ B! Q # x8 l( N" Z8 g (Source: China Daily)-%-13189-%--%-13585-%-