China sticks to ban on favourable power tariffs for energy-intensive sectors

China’s top economic planner on Thursday reiterated a ban on favourable power tariffs for power-intensive sectors as the world’s second-largest electricity consumer struggles to deal with its worst power crisis in seven years.

Last year, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) asked local governments and power suppliers to cancel favourable power prices for aluminium, ferroalloy and calcium carbide makers, and said preferential power rates for direct trade between power generators and power users but without approval must be halted.