The transportation sector is working to ensure a sufficient supply of energy can be mobilized in the upcoming winter and spring, including coal and natural gas shipments, the Ministry of Transport said on Oct 28.

The ministry is requiring local transportation departments to study the need to transport energy and plan accordingly, Liu Pengfei, spokesman for the ministry, said at an online news conference.

It also asked transport providers to build communication systems with key enterprises and will prioritize the arrangement of vehicles and vessels for energy transportation. Emergency plans have been prepared to respond to possible extreme weather, especially in the Bohai Sea region.

The ministry will set up a special working group to coordinate energy transportation in winter and spring, Liu said. The working group will be on duty 24 hours a day, and a phone number will be publicized to cope with emergencies.

Safety inspections have also been emphasized, especially in transporting coal and liquid natural gas.

The ministry will continue to dispatch inspection groups to provide on-site guidance. Recently, working groups were sent to Tianjin, the provinces of Hebei and Shanxi, and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region to inspect ports for transporting coal and liquid natural gas. The groups helped to address difficulties by taking measures such as allocating 45 million yuan ($7 million) to repair roads damaged by heavy rainfall in Shanxi.