False power shortage rumors stir panic in city

State Grid Shanghai rebutted power shortage rumors, declaring the city's power supply amid chilly weather is normal.

Last night, a blackout notice on news platform Toutiao listed areas in the city set to undergo planned power outages today, including neighborhoods and office buildings in Changning, Minhang, Chongming districts and the Pudong New Area.

The notice quickly triggered concerns that Shanghai was experiencing power shortages like those in regions such as Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces.

State Grid officials later clarified the planned power outage mentioned in the notice was part of daily safety maintenance operations, which aren't a result of power shortages and have limited impact.

Moreover, the area listed in the notice was only the approximate range of possible blackouts, which may be adjusted based on conditions.

The city's current maximum power load is 26-million kilowatts, and the maximum power supply capacity is 29 million kilowatts, according to State Grid officials.

This month, due to increased industrial output and cold weather, power demand in Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang has reached new highs. Measures such as reducing power to businesses and general energy conservation have been taken by local governments.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) assured consumers the power supply for households is stable.

“Though the price of coal has increased recently, the amount of coal stored at power plants is ample,” said Zhao Chenxin, secretary of the NDRC.

“The individual cases of power limits shouldn't affect the overall supply capacity,” said Zhang Jianhua, director of the NEA.