As the peak summer electricity consumption period approaches, State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) is implementing a comprehensive strategy to ensure a stable and reliable power supply. Across the nation, from the Caojing Power Plant in Shanghai to hydroelectric stations on the upper Yellow River and wind farms in Inner Mongolia, SPIC's diverse energy assets are operating at full capacity to meet the rising demand and deliver power to millions of households.
With temperatures climbing nationwide, electricity consumption is surging. Projections indicate that during the peak summer period, total societal electricity consumption could reach approximately 3 trillion kilowatt-hours, a 6% year-on-year increase, with peak load potentially hitting 1.6 billion kilowatts. To address this critical supply challenge, SPIC has rolled out 23 specific measures focusing on equipment maintenance, fuel reserves, project commissioning, and safety management. These efforts aim to ensure power generation units are reliable, stable, and capable of operating at full load to support economic development and meet public electricity needs.
Securing the Fuel Supply Foundation
A stable coal supply is fundamental for thermal power generation. SPIC's subsidiaries are proactively managing this through a multi-pronged strategy emphasizing inventory building, optimizing imports, strictly adhering to long-term contracts, increasing reserves, and fostering partnerships to guarantee sufficient fuel.
In inventory management, China Power brought forward its coal stockpiling target to May 31st, establishing a dedicated team to dynamically track coal sourcing and procurement. By the end of May, it had stockpiled 2.163 million tons for summer, exceeding its target by 110.9%. Facing market volatility, Henan Company activated emergency protocols in June, procuring 1.1 million tons of coal through multiple channels, bringing total inventory to 1.22 million tons, sufficient for 33 days of consumption. Jiangxi Company established a new supply channel for coal from Xinjiang, creating a diversified procurement system combining sea-borne, rail-delivered, and Xinjiang coal. This not only broadened supply sources but also reduced overall logistics costs by over 10% due to Xinjiang coal's price advantage, maintaining average daily coal inventory above 30 days.
On cost control, Guizhou Jinyuan adhered to a strategy of using long-term contract coal for baseline supply and market-purchased coal for cost management, achieving efficiency gains exceeding 1.8 billion yuan in the first half of the year. Concurrently, the group continues to leverage its own coal mines as a stabilizing force. At the Zhahannur open-pit mine operated by Inner Mongolia Company, 67 mining units and two coal conveyor systems are running at full capacity, with hourly raw coal output stable at 1,885 tons. A 200,000-ton emergency coal stockpile has been established, capable of supporting external shipments for over five days during extreme weather. By June 30th, the five open-pit mines under Inner Mongolia Company had cumulatively produced 39.31 million tons of coal, an increase of 3.86 million tons year-on-year, accelerating the release of high-quality capacity to provide solid support for secure and stable coal supply.
Ensuring Thermal Power Reliability
The operational health of power generation units is critical for supply security. SPIC's 91.565 gigawatts of thermal power capacity are fully prepared, with all units aiming for zero unplanned outages through enhanced preventive maintenance and defect management.
As a key node in the North China Grid, Shentou Power Plant is operating its four units (two 600 MW and two 1000 MW) at full load. The plant has focused on addressing vulnerabilities in boiler heating surfaces, rectifying hundreds of potential issues since May to achieve zero leaks across all four boilers. Modifications to air preheaters and flue gas ducts have reduced induced draft fan speeds and optimized coal mill output to over 88 tons per hour, improving both operational efficiency and reliability. By the end of June, cumulative power generation reached 8.88 billion kilowatt-hours.
Following temperatures exceeding 30°C in Shanghai, Shanghai Electric Power coordinated precise measures across its power plants. Caojing Power Plant established an "equipment condition trend warning" mechanism to detect early signs of abnormal auxiliary equipment vibration or bearing temperature, eliminating defects proactively. Waigaoqiao Power Plant shifted its management focus from post-failure response to preemptive prevention, detailing safety and environmental protection protocols to strengthen production foundations. Pingdingshan Power Generation in Henan enhanced maintenance quality through a dual QA and three-tier quality control system, achieving zero-defect handover after unit overhauls. Xinjiang Wucawan Power Generation implemented routine anti-wear and anti-explosion management, while Baicheng Thermal Power adhered to a policy of "inspecting during every shutdown," completing maintenance and technical upgrades ahead of schedule. These meticulous management practices ensure thermal power units are primed to reliably support the core power supply.
Leveraging Clean Energy Contributions
Clean energy sectors, including hydropower and new energy, are playing a vital supplementary role during the peak summer period.
Wuling Power is leveraging its basin-wide centralized control advantage to maximize hydropower potential through refined dispatching. The Wuqiangxi Power Plant managed reservoir levels in advance to secure full-load operation, generating 4.349 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity by June 30th, a 64.7% increase over the average of the past three years. Yunnan International implemented differentiated "one-station-one-policy" dispatching for its hydropower assets, with annual power generation exceeding 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours, a 98% year-on-year increase, significantly boosting water energy utilization. SPIC's Dam Safety Center dynamically monitors key landslide and high-steep slope risk points, establishing a standardized electronic database for geological hazards to enable full-cycle, closed-loop management.
As the world's largest new energy power generation enterprise, SPIC is deepening its "evaluate-diagnose-treat" special campaign. Through comprehensive station assessments, precise equipment diagnosis, and systematic remediation, the group is fully tapping the generation potential of its existing assets. In the first five months, this campaign recovered 3.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from its controlled centralized new energy stations, representing 4.5% of their potential output. During the peak summer period, the group is systematically advancing this work to continuously improve new energy operation and maintenance standards and equipment performance, allowing green power to inject robust energy into the grid during peak loads.
Expanding Capacity with Key Projects
While existing units operate efficiently, SPIC is accelerating the construction of key projects to steadily expand its supply foundation. By the end of May, the group's total installed power capacity reached 295 gigawatts. The grid connection of projects like Pingwei Unit 8, the Qitaihe wind farm in Heilongjiang, and the Anlong Bakanhe photovoltaic project in Guizhou has further enhanced its supply capability.
At an altitude of 2,300 meters, Unit 3 of Qinghai Provincial Investment's 3×660 MW "replace small with large" project overcame challenges such as low nighttime temperatures and parameter control to complete boiler blowdown tasks to a high standard, laying a safe foundation for timely commissioning. High-efficiency, clean coal power projects, including the Jiangsu Binhai expansion, Shanghai Caojing Phase II, and the No. 5 unit of Northeast Fuxin Phase IV, are in their peak construction phases. All units are working against detailed schedules to ensure high-quality construction and on-time operation. A batch of new energy projects, such as the 1.2 GW second phase of the 6 GW Ulanqab wind power base in Inner Mongolia, are being intensively promoted, with concrete measures in place to ensure all tasks are completed as planned.
Energy security is a matter of national importance and public welfare, a responsibility SPIC consistently upholds. From securing coal supply and stabilizing thermal power to optimizing hydropower and enhancing new energy efficiency, and from tapping the potential of existing assets to expanding new capacity, the entire corporation is applying rigorous work practices and meticulous management to fortify production defenses and refine supply assurance measures. This summer, the hum of generators, the rotation of wind turbines, and the gleam of photovoltaic panels across the country are converging into a formidable force safeguarding the nation's power supply, providing a continuous stream of energy support for stable socioeconomic operation.
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