The Department of General Affairs of the National Energy Administration ("NEA") has recently issued the Circular on Launching the Power Safety Inspections (the "Circular").
According to the Circular, the inspections will be aimed at looking into the safety of power construction, the supervision and administration of the quality of power construction projects, the operating safety of power systems, and the safety of hazardous chemical products used in the power industry. In particular, as for the safety of power construction, the Circular provides further clarity on the power construction enterprises' fulfillment of their subject responsibilities for safety, the implementation of special rectification programs on the construction safety of power construction projects, and the quality safety of "coal-to-electricity" projects. Meanwhile, the Circular outlines arrangements for relevant tasks, requiring that by October 15, 2018, a power enterprise shall establish an organizational and leading agency, prepare the work plan, clearly specify and detail the scope of work, specific tasks, priorities and requirements, carry out the self-inspection and make corrections in a deep-going and comprehensive manner, and draw up the self-inspection report. The NEA will set up the inspection team, and send this team to some selected areas to look into efforts of power enterprises in conducting the self-inspection and taking corrective actions and the work of relevant departments on supervising power safety and investigating to rule out behaviors in violation of laws and regulations.