China's projected power consumptionand the combined capacity of its generating units in 2020 are expected to increase by 136 percent and 150 percent respectively over 2003, according to Zhao Xizheng, general manager of the State Power Grid Corporation, the largest state-owned grid operator in China.

Zhao said Tuesday the country's total electricity consumption in 2020 is projected at 4.5 trillion kwh, as compared with 1.9 trillion kwh in 2003, while the country's overall capacity of generating units in 2020 would be 950 million kilowatts, as against 380 million kilowatts in 2003.

Addressing an internal meeting on human resources, the general manager said the State Power Grid Corporation will step up its pace of building power grids to increase its power generating capacity in the coming decades to ensure supply meets demand.

The corporation, which was set up last year as part of the Chinese government's reform of the country's power industry, supplies electricity to most of the country.

China has been troubled by power shortage in the past few months as fast-growing power demand by the country's industrial sector outpaced supply, and the shortage will not ease until next year.

Source: Xinhua