Cities in China are stepping up efforts to ensure energy supplies for heating as cold waves spread across many regions,especially in the north.
According to the China Meteorological Administration(CMA)on Sunday,a strong snowfall occurred on Saturday in the northern part of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,and strong winds were reported in the northern Xinjiang and the western part of North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.The agency predicted that the strong cold air will continue to affect most parts of the country.
From Sunday to Tuesday,a strong cold front will move from west to east across central and eastern China,bringing temperatures down by 4 to 8 degrees Celsius,with some northern areas seeing drops of 10 to 12 degrees,according to the CMA.
Given the context,the CMA urged people in these areas to pay attention to the impact of strong winds and temperature drops,as well as energy supplies.
Efforts have already been made to secure energy supplies for the winter.The Northwest Energy Regulatory Bureau of the National Energy Administration(NEA)recently announced arrangements for ensuring energy supplies during the peak winter period of 2025,according to the official website of the administration.
The bureau stated that it will strengthen the safety of the power grid,promote coordination between the grid and energy sources,enhance coal reserves and ensure energy supplies for essential living needs.The bureau pledged to strengthen supervision of supplies in key regions,during critical periods,and at vulnerable points.
The Northeast Energy Regulatory Bureau of the NEA also noted that work to ensure electricity supplies for the peak winter season has been fully launched.Faced with the severe national electricity safety situation and the challenges of securing power and heating in the Northeast China during the winter,power companies must further strengthen safety defenses and ensure stable energy supplies,a bureau official said.
"China's heating system is highly developed,as it directly matters to public health and safety,"Lin Boqiang,dean of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University,told the Global Times on Sunday.
Lin noted that northern cities in particular have long-established centralized heating systems that use coal,natural gas,or combined heat and power,with well-developed infrastructure and management.
A strong power grid forms the foundation for reliable energy supplies during the winter.Recently,the 500 kilovolt Lingfeng-1 line anti-icing and disaster prevention project of the State Grid Mongolian East Power was completed,marking the commissioning of all 68 anti-icing and disaster-resilient grid reinforcement projects scheduled for this year,the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Since the beginning of the year,113 new grid infrastructure projects of 500 kilovolts and above have been put into operation,further enhancing interprovincial and interregional transmission capacity and laying a solid foundation for meeting peak winter electricity demand,Xinhua reported,citing an official of the State Grid.
In the energy supply system,coal remains the"ballast stone."According to the latest data from the NEA,the country's daily coal dispatch and production have remained at a relatively high level since October of more than 12.3 million tons.
Meanwhile,as the weather turns colder,natural gas usage has risen sharply across the country.In Changchun,capital city of Northeast China's Jilin Province,Yulin,Northwest China's Shaanxi Province,and Zhoushan,East China's Zhejiang Province,local authorities are doing their utmost to ensure supplies during peak demand periods through dynamic monitoring and intelligent scheduling.
Jilin is expanding pipeline coverage and increasing the share of natural gas to enable more households and industrial users to access clean energy,the CCTV News reported.In Changchun,the number of residents using natural gas for heating has been growing steadily at an annual rate of 8 percent,according to the report.
"Compared with coal,natural gas heating is cleaner and more environmentally friendly.Driven by the country's low-carbon development goals and supported by relevant policies and subsidies,natural gas heating is expected to become a rising trend for winter heating in the future,particularly in northern major cities,"Lin said.
Moreover,since industrial energy accounts for the vast majority of total energy use,in the event of extreme weather,a small portion of it can be redirected to fully meet residential heating needs,the industry expert said.
