Economically robust Guangdong Province in south China is not likely to see a significant improvement in the supply of energy in the second half of the year.

According to the provincial economic and trade commission, the supply of electric power and oil products will remain below demand over the next six months in Guangdong, particularly in the Pearl River Delta.

Wen Guohui, deputy director of the commission, said 35 percent of the province's total energy consumption is used by air conditioners during sweltering summer which is the peak season for power consumption.

He predicted by the third quarter the province will be short 4 million kilowatts of power.

Meanwhile, Guangdong is forecast this year to require 7.2 million tons of gasoline and 13.3 million tons of diesel oil, a year-on-year growth of 6.2 percent.

The two major oil companies in China, PetroChina and Sinopec, plan to provide 19.25 million tons of oil products for the province, creating a shortfall of 1.25 million tons.

Price hikes for petroleum products on the international market will also continue to challenge oil-fired power generating units, Wen Guohui said.

Guangdong plans to buy more electricity from other provinces and implement better power conservation measures.

The province plans to ask the two major oil suppliers to increase supplies and it will seek ways of improving the delivery of coal from the north.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2006)