Henan cuts heating in some offices to meet needs of residents

Several cities in Henan province, Central China, recently suspended heat supplies to nonessential government buildings in order to fully meet residential demand during a bout of extremely cold weather.

Heat supplies were suspended in some public buildings from Friday to Monday, excluding those providing essential services such as hospitals, schools, police stations and kindergartens.

The move was welcomed by some on social media, with one netizen remarking on microblogging platform Sina Weibo that it was a "warmhearted decision".

The main reason for the suspension was a shortage in fuel supplies, but specific details about the heating situation are not yet known, according to a staff member from the city's urban management bureau, cited by local media outlets.

Pingdingshan Thermal Power Group said that the Luyang Power Plant, the largest heat source in the city, which was to be connected to the city's heating network by this winter, had not yet been put into operation due to some minor issues.

It is expected to be working around the New Year, the company said, adding that it has been ramping up efforts to meet residents' needs.

Separately, the cities of Puyang and Jiaozuo, also in Henan, have suspended heat supplies to some government buildings as well.

Persistent cold snaps have put thermal heat suppliers under strain in Jiaozuo, with a breakdown of heating boilers at one of the major suppliers on Friday, leaving some areas in urgent need.

Jiaozuo Wanfang Aluminum Manufacturing, the supplier, has been scrambling to fix the malfunction and was expected to resume providing supplies on Tuesday, according to the local government.

Over the past two weeks, Henan has entered its coldest period since the beginning of winter. The province's meteorological observatory said that the average temperature in the entire province was — 1.8 C in mid-December, the lowest average for the month since 1961.

On Dec 18, a State-owned heat production enterprise in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, said that the heating network in the city was operating at its limit as the city grappled with the cold snap.

Last week, Henan's neighboring province Shandong called for conserving electricity, suggesting that heat provided by air conditioners in government buildings not exceed 20 C.

In a statement issued on its WeChat account, the Shandong Development and Reform Commission urged industrial enterprises to arrange production plans reasonably and stagger electricity use during peak periods.