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

Official: China should be cautious in using natural gas for power generation

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) 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 here 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.

Besides, the rocketing international natural gas price makes such energy an unworthy option for generating electricity in the long- term, he said.

China’s installed capacity of power generation reached 508.41 million kilowatts by the end of 2005, up 14.9 percent year on year, of which the gas-fired capacity accounted for some 2.1 percent, Wang said.

Meanwhile, the hydropower capacity accounted for 22.9 percent, up 10.7 percent year on year; thermal power 75.6 percent, up 16.6 percent; and nuclear power 1.35 percent, up 0.1 percent, official figures show.

The rocketing installed capacity has eased China’s electricity shortage and led to a more balanced power market.

Regional, interim and seasonal oversupply, however, may still happen in the next few years, Wang said.

China should further adjust its power industry by promoting nuclear power, speeding up wind power development, developing natural gas-fired power stations cautiously, as well as wiping out polluting and inefficient power plants, Wang suggested.