According to data released by the China Electricity Council China's installed power capacity reached 792.53 million kilowatts by the end of 2008, an increase of 10.34% from the previous year, while China's power output hit 3,433.4 billion kilowatt per hours in 2008 an increase of 5.18%YoY. Power consumption in China totaled 3,426.8 billion kWh in 2008 an increase of 5.23%.

In 2008, China increased power capacity by an additional 90.51 million kilowatts, including 20.1 million kilowatts in hydro power and 4.66 million kilowatts in wind power. During the same period, China shut down small thermal power units with a total power capacity of 16.69 million kilowatts. Standard coal consumption for thermal power units with a power capacity of over 6,000 kilowatts fell to 349 grams per kWh, below the level of 355 grams per kWh required in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. China's power imports and exports totaled 20.455 billion kWh in 2008, an increase of 5.61%YoY. Of which, power exports reached 16.859 billion kilowatts, an increase of 10.25%YoY.

The CEC also made projections about the state of power in 2009. Power investment is expected to maintain high levels of as much as CNY 650 billion. China's power capacity is expected to increase by an additional 80 million kilowatts in 2009, with the total power installed capacity to reach 860 million kilowatts by the end of this year. China's power supply capacity is sufficient considering its power demands. Growth in China's power output for the whole year is expected to be 5%.

(Sourced People's Daily Online)

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