China's energy supply sufficient: regulator

Energy supplies including coal and oil were largely sufficient in China as a majority of mines and refineries resumed operation, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Feb 23.

As of Feb 20, coal stockpiles at the country's plants were adequate for 27 days of consumption, while those in Hubei, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, were sufficient for 54 days of use as of Feb 22, according to information from a news conference on Feb 23.

By Feb 22, the coal sector was running at 76.5 percent of capacities, which reached 3.17 billion metric tons. On Feb 22 alone, output came in at 8.33 million tons, doubling the production on Feb 1.

Stocks of both refined oil and natural gas remained high, with oil stockpiles exceeding 21.1 million tons by Feb 21.

The NDRC pledged to closely monitor supply-demand changes in the energy sector as demand is set to pick up with more business restoring activities.