China Datang Rolls Out Multi-pronged Measures to Secure Energy Supply Through Summer Peak Period

Since the arrival of summer, sweltering heatwaves and intense torrential downpours have coincided to create substantial hurdles for China’s power grid during the annual summer demand peak. China Datang Corporation Limited coordinates core operational priorities including safe production, typhoon and flood defence, fuel provision and stable power generation amid high temperatures, rolling out targeted operational schemes to build robust safeguards for national energy security.

Flood Prevention and Emergency Response Reinforce Flood Season Safety Defences

Extreme weather patterns such as recurrent heavy downpours and hailstorms have swept across Chinese regions since the onset of flood season. China Datang adheres to a risk-averse operational framework centred on pre-emptive prevention and coordinated emergency relief, conducting scientific regulation of water resources and refining flood defence layouts at all operational sites, with safety accountability cascaded across every tier of management to fortify on-site safe production throughout the flood period.

Operational dispatch staff at Longtan Hydropower Station maintain round-the-clock monitoring of hydrological data and issue precise regulatory instructions to regulate flood peaks, as real-time inflow volumes at the reservoir exceed 7,000 cubic metres per second. Severe thunderstorms, the most intense recorded this flood season, struck the Hongshui River basin in Guangxi from the evening of 18 June, triggering sharp surges in water inflow at Longtan and Yantan Reservoirs. Over eight days up to 25 June, Longtan Hydropower Station retained 2.384 billion cubic metres of floodwater, cutting peak inflow discharge by 8,800 cubic metres per second with a peak reduction rate of 92 per cent. Timely peak staggering with the Liujiang River alleviates flood risks for downstream riverine zones.

For northern regions exposed to short-duration severe convection and hailstorms, Datang Zhangjiakou Power Generation Company activates emergency response protocols without delay once hazardous weather alerts emerge. On-site crews swiftly heighten and reinforce water retaining barriers at plant premises, stockpile sandbags and deploy submersible pumps across all workshops. A novel integrated management framework featuring unified risk mapping and standardised operational manuals has been implemented since the flood season began, marking low-lying and waterside hazard zones on site layouts alongside refined inspection benchmarks and clear accountability partitions. Three tiers of flood defence buffers are established across all facilities, with discretionary emergency response authority delegated to frontline teams to enable instant on-site mitigation of flood hazards.

Stable Power Output and Full Fuel Reserves Consolidate Power Supply Foundations

Secure coal provision stands as a core operational priority for China Datang during the summer demand surge. The enterprise manages full industrial chains covering coal extraction, washing, stockpiling and transportation, tapping into full production capacity, streamlining operational scheduling and unblocking logistics routes to sustain consistent fuel stocks for unbroken power generation at full load.

All mining faces operate with seamless continuity and fully functional equipment, ready for full-capacity coal shipment at any time. Datang Guoyuan Company optimises mining layouts and dynamically adjusts work schedules, carrying out dedicated inspections of underground machinery to sustain stable full-load operation across extraction, transit and coal washing systems. The mine maintains an average daily coal output of approximately 48,000 tonnes. Close liaison is maintained with national railway authorities to draw up granular shipment schedules aligned with stock levels and client requirements, with full staffing deployed to guarantee unimpeded logistics corridors. The delivery completion ratio has reached 108.54 per cent.

Datang Xikuang Company refines overburden stripping and mining workflows at production zones to stabilise daily output at 84,000 tonnes, unlocking maximum coal production capacity. Expanded coal receiving and stockpiling operations are rolled out at storage terminals, with port warehousing facilities repurposed to build intermediate coal storage yards and maintain unobstructed outbound coal transport routes. Coal shipments from the facility reach six provincial-level regions nationwide, with delivery destinations stretching as far as Fujian Province. A steady 18 freight trains depart daily to sustain ample fuel reserves for summer power demand.

High-temperature Operational Campaigns Boost Peak Generation Capacity

Sustained summer heat and prolonged full-load operation of generating units drive China Datang to deliver refined maintenance for thermal and new energy assets. Targeted inspections to identify heat-induced equipment faults and calibrated operational tuning are carried out to seize every viable power generation window and maximise output during demand spikes.

In Inner Mongolia, surface temperatures atop the 45-metre air cooling island at Datang Tuoketuo Power Generation Facility climb above 50 degrees Celsius. Inspection crews patrol the site under intense solar radiation, carrying vibration analysers and thermal imagers to audit operational conditions of air cooling fan motors. As a thermal power base with daily generation volumes exceeding 100 million kilowatt-hours during peak demand, the facility tracks meteorological shifts and unit performance metrics round the clock, fine-tuning coal blending schemes dynamically to sustain full-capacity power generation and deliver consistent electricity supplies to the national capital region.

Surface temperatures surpass 40 degrees Celsius, internal wind turbine cabin readings top 50 degrees Celsius, and photovoltaic panel surface temperatures near 60 degrees Celsius at Datang Shichengzi PV Power Station located in the Gobi desert, where equipment operates under extreme thermal conditions throughout the summer demand period. Since June, the facility deploys infrared temperature measurement devices and drone patrols to conduct full-coverage inspections of junction boxes and PV modules. A total of 2,873 junction boxes have been examined, and over 180,000 photovoltaic panels have undergone deep cleaning procedures. Such work eliminates power losses caused by accumulated dust and mitigates hot spot faults, lifting overall power generation efficiency of desert-based PV installations.

Maintenance and inspection protocols refined across hydropower, coal mining, thermal and photovoltaic assets will be replicated at all operational sites under China Datang’s portfolio for the remainder of the summer peak period. End-to-end coordination between fuel logistics, on-site flood defence and high-temperature equipment maintenance teams will continue to smooth out fluctuations in power output and stabilise national electricity supply amid harsh seasonal weather conditions.