China’s Top Power Lobby Says It’s Ready for Winter Demand Surge

China’s electricity companies are confident that ample coal and gas supplies, and an abundance of renewables, will allow them to meet the usual end-year surge in demand without upset.

Power consumption growth in the fourth quarter is expected to increase at its fastest pace this year, thanks to a low base for comparison and improving economic conditions, the China Electricity Council said in a report on Monday. October has already seen coal consumption at power plants rise above historic trends due to prolonged heat in eastern megacities, according to a recent note from Morgan Stanley analysts including Hannah Yang.