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 Sunday.

As of Thursday, 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 Saturday, according to information from a press conference on Sunday.

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

Stocks of both refined oil and natural gas remained high, with oil stockpiles exceeding 21.1 million tonnes by Friday.

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.