SHANGHAI—China faces mounting pressure to ramp up coal imports and ensure supplies to keep lights on, factories open, and water flowing as a severe power crunch roils the northeastern industrial heartland.
With electricity shortages sparked by coal shortages crippling large sections of industry, the governor of Jilin province, one of the hardest hit in the world’s no.2 economy, called for a surge in coal imports, while a power company association said supply was being expanded “at any cost.”
