China, the world's biggest coal producer and consumer, has boosted stockpiles of the fuel at most power stations by 40 percent since July, easing a nationwide electricity shortage.

    Inventories at 541 utilities connected to the State Grid Corp of China network jumped to 43.81 million tonnes as of September 7, from 31.39 million tons on July 30, said Liu Xinfang, a public relations official at the nation's dominant power distributor.

    The supplies are enough for about 15 days of consumption, he said.

    China, which gets almost 80 percent of its electricity from coal, is battling a sixth year of power shortage.