BEIJING - Average selling prices for electricity in China should reach 0.7287 yuan per kilowatt-hour (kWh) by 2015, a 27.6-percent increase from the 2010 level, according to the latest forecast by China Electricity Council (CEC).

The price rise represents an annual growth rate of 5 percent, which is a "reasonable" forecast given factors such as increasing coal prices and power companies' need to cover historical debts, CEC said in an updated research report on the industry's development plan for the 2011-2015 period.

Electricity prices in China are set by the government, and the widening gap between the government-set electricity price and the market-guided coal price has been blamed for profit losses of the country's power generation companies.

To offset losses, the CEC expects the price to rise further to 0.8317 yuan per kWh in 2020.