China trans-provincial power trade hits 176b kWh

BEIJING -- China's trans-provincial electricity trade totaled 176.02 billion kilowatt-hours in the first half of the year, a rise of 2.14 percent from a year earlier, according to a report released by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission on Monday.

Meanwhile, trans-regional electricity transactions rose 15.18 percent year-on-year to 139.23 billion kWh in the period, while cross-border electricity trade reached 8.01 billion kWh, said the report, which marked the SERC's first such regulatory report.

The report said 18 Chinese regions conducted trades of power generation rights in the first half, with a transaction volume of 35.7 billion kWh, almost the same as that of last year.

The transaction of power generation rights has helped cut the use of 2.63 million metric tons of standard coal equivalent, or 6.84 million tons of carbon emissions, the report said.

The report said wind and coal electricity in Northeast China and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region is sold to North China, while hydropower in Central China is delivered to South and East China. Coal-generated electricity in the northwest is supplied to Central and North China.

The report also identified issues concerning trans-provincial and trans-regional electricity transactions and generation rights trade, which include unfavorable power transaction plans and price policies.