China is heading into winter expecting record power use again, and officials are already warning that both electricity load and daily gas demand are likely to set new highs. The NDRC says the heating season will run longer this year. That usually means heavier coal burn and more gas in the mix. Beijing says the system is prepared, pointing to 230 million tons of coal in stock—roughly 35 days—but the last year has shown just how jumpy the grid can get. In October, power generation climbed almost 8% from a year earlier. Southern provinces…