The official expects the national annual increase in electricity consumption during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period to be about 600 billion kWh

On June 26, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce related plans for accelerating the construction of a new type of energy system during the 15th FiveYear Plan period. Du Zhongming, Director of the Electricity Department of the National Energy Administration, said that due to factors such as growth in electricity demand from computing power, expansion of electric charging facilities, and rigid increases in electricity consumption by residents and other industries, the country's average annual increase in electricity consumption during the 15th FiveYear Plan period is expected to reach about 600 billion kWh. Du Zhongming said that China's current power supply is generally stable and orderly, but during the summer peak demand period, supply in some provinces in East China, Central China, and South China remains relatively tight. Relevant departments will ensure a stable power supply through measures such as interprovincial and interregional power support, rolling assessments of supply and demand, and strengthened monitoring of water inflows for hydropower, coal stocks at power plants, and gas supply. He also said that in the next stage, efforts will be made in a coordinated manner across power sources, the grid, electricity consumption, and energy storage to advance green and lowcarbon supply, accelerate the construction of new power grids, develop virtual power plants, and give full play to the role of newtype energy storage, ensuring the safety of national power supply and electricity use for people's livelihoods.