China’s October coal imports nearly doubled its year-on-year for October, according to a report from the General Administration of Customs published on Nov. 7. The import increase comes as concerns escalate about power shortages, due to the approaching winter. China bought 26.9 million tons of coal in October, which amounts to a 96.2% increase in comparison with the same term during the previous year. The numbers for October were less than September, when China’s coal imports peaked at 32.9 million tons. The large purchases come as Chinese people have been suffering severe power outages, which intensified in September. Three northeastern provinces—which face extreme cold in the winter—went through “unexpected and unprecedented” power cuts on Sep. 27, reported state-run tabloid Global Times. More than two-thirds of China’s electricity comes from burning thermal coal. Coal scarcity was aggravated in the beginning of October as key coal mining regions were hit by torrential …