Sept. 24 – China’s Ministry of Railways says the country’s coal reserves hit a record high of 29.33 million tons.

In the past years, the average rate of reserves amounted to 23 million to 24 million tonnes. China consumed 319.8 billion kwh worth of power in August, a decrease of 1 percent from July’s 322.5 billion kwh consumption.

According to Xinhua, the increased supply was due to weakening demand for power as the summer peak season had passed. The ministry said the country’s efforts to improve coal transport capacity and close down small-scale thermal coal plants also added to the rise.

In August, the State Council released a notice urging local authorities in the country to work harder towards energy conservation. This was in response to the rampant power shortages in China, most notably in its industrialized southeast coastal areas, forcing authorities to impose power rationing.

It said that China’s energy efficiency was still low compared to the standards of developed countries, and that some government bodies and projects have been using energy wastefully.

While the notice did not offer new policy initiatives, it instructed local government to implement energy efficiency standards for automobiles and factories. This included canceling local policies that offered preferential electricity rates to energy-intensive industries such as steel and concrete producers.