Coal stocks held by major Chinese coal-fired power plants with grid connection were at 28.71 million tonnes at the end of October, enough to last for 15 days of generation, state media reported on Thursday.

Current coal stocks, however, were still below the 32 million tonnes stockpile target, the China Electric Power News said.

Stocks in power stations in 11 provinces were below their respective targets, with temporary supply tightness likely to emerge in plants in regions covered by northeastern and central grids, the newspaper report said.

Inventories have stayed above the 15-day level for the third quarter due to lower consumption amid weak power demand, the report added.

A coal shortage was one of the key reasons behind the worst summer power crunch in four years in 2008 when Beijing hosted the Olympics.

Coal-fired power stations generate around 80 percent of national electricity output.