China increased its power generating capacity by 16.9 percent to a total of 517 million kw last year, industrial sources said Thursday.

 

The China Electricity Council (CEC) said the figure included 117.38 million kw from hydroelectric stations, about 22.7 percent of the total, and 391.37 million kw from coal-fired plants, or 75.67 percent.

 

The generating capacity of nuclear power totaled 6.85 million kw, accounting for 1.32 percent of the total, while wind power was 0.2 percent.

 

By the end of last year, 40 wind farms each with a capacity of 6,000 kw or more were operational, said CEC spokesperson Wang Yonggan.

 

China's electricity demand and supply would level out later this year with a sharp rise in capacity, said Zhang Guobao, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) early this year.

 

China generated 2.5 trillion kilowatt-hours last year, up 13.82 percent from the year before.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2006)