China added 85
million kilowatts of power generating capacity from January to November
this year to fuel its double-digit economic growth, according to the
China Electricity Council (CEC).

The
installed power generating capacity in China, the world’s second
largest energy consumer after the United States, stood at 622 million
kw by the end of 2006.

The
rapid increase in power capacity means there was slim chance of power
shortages occurring in large areas of the country despite the sustained
growth in power demand, said an unnamed CEC official.

China’s
power generating capacity would jump to 900 million kw in 2010 and the
power demand would grow by around 10 percent annually from 2007 to
2010, the CEC predicted.

The power demand and supply would continue to be in basic balance in the coming years, the official added.

Severe power shortages started to hit a majority of Chinese provinces and cities in 2002, before they eased in 2006.

Via China Daily