BEIJING, July 15 -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang has stressed efforts to ensure energy and power supply as the country enters the peak summer season of electricity demand.

Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during research tours to China Huaneng Group and the State Grid and at a meeting on ensuring power supply on Saturday.

Ding called for redoubled efforts to coordinate and ensure electricity supply, particularly for key regions and critical industries and during important periods, in order to prevent the action of cutting off power supply from happening.

He underscored the need to strengthen power generation capacity, ensure the supply of thermal coal and keep prices stable, and encourage off-peak power use in a market-based way, so that the people's livelihood and other key uses of electricity will not be affected.

Efforts should also be made to check the potential safety hazards in power generation and supply to ensure workplace safety, he said.