Some quake-hit areas in China were running low on supplies of coal, and authorities have urged coal-producing provinces to step up output to help fill the gap, state media reported Sunday.
An emergency circular of the State Council also called on the provinces to hasten the resumption of work at small coal mines that had been suspended from operating to fix safety problems, Xinhua news agency said.
China's coal industry has been under stress due to coal shortages this year, a situation worsened by the May 12 quake, which struck in the southwest and damaged a "considerable" number of hydropower stations, Xinhua said.
The coal will fuel thermal power stations in the quake zone, the circular said.
By May 21, coal stocks had fallen to an amount good for less than seven days in some power plants in quake-hit Sichuan province, Xinhua said. Since then, trains have ferried coal in to Sichuan.
Though there were shortages in some areas of coal, oil, electricity and agricultural goods, the supply was generally sufficient, the circular said.
Coal production in the quake zone should resume as soon as possible, and coal-producing counties should seek approval from authorities if they want to reduce one-third of output, the circular said.
The State Council also ordered the China National Petroleum Corporation and Asia's top oil refiner, Sinopec, to guarantee oil supply to the quake zone.
Sinopec has pledged to halt gasoline exports in the third quarter to cope with extra domestic demand caused by quake relief and has made emergency deliveries of diesel and petrol to Sichuan and nearby regions.
The quake, which measured 8.0 on the Richter scale, has killed more than 68,900 people, with nearly 18,000 still missing.
