China Orders Increased Coal Supplies to Central Provinces

By Wang Ying

Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- China's government has ordered stable supplies of power-station coal to the nation's central provinces, adding it will face pressure to provide sufficient fuel to avoid shortages this winter.

The government has asked railway departments to give priority to deliveries to Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on its Web site today.

The government will continue to curb wasteful power consumption and improve coal, electricity pricing, it said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Wang Ying in Beijing at wang30@bloomberg.net.