Is China's economy ready for heatwaves
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-07-07 07:26

The maximum customers' load in Shanghai reached 15.81 million kilowatts on July 1, 810,000 kw more than the record of last year. Power consumption in Shanghai renewed its record three times in a week. The local power grid said power supply had already reached the top capacity.

A lightning bolt strikes during a thunderstorm over Shanghai, China July 6, 2005. Residents in Shanghai had ten scorching summer days with temperature hitting 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit). [Reuters]

In nearby Anhui Province, water shortage and continuous overload operation have severely affected power supply, resulting in a decrease of 1.13 million kw in electricity generation.

The province was forced to launch the "orange level warning" for power supply and set a limit on consumption of big power consumers.

Sources with the State Electricity Dispatching Center said this summer's power shortage will be much more serious than last year. The customer's load in eastern and northern parts of China has surpassed the peak amount of 2004, with the biggest gap reaching 14 million and 3 million kw, respectively.

Many experts attribute the power shortage to the skyrocketing economy, especially high-power-consuming industries.

The unbalanced power source structure is also blamed for the crisis. Experts think thermal power makes up a larger proportion than it should in the structure. Consequently, the shortage of coal will immediately lead to a terrible power generation breakdown.

The power limitation policies apparently affect the economic results of many industries.

In Anhui, the Jianghuai Automobile Company has to ask workers to work at night due to frequent power cut-off, which lasts for as long as 12 hours a day.

A company official said the limitation of power supply had greatly hit its production and delivery plans, causing great losses.

The high temperatures have also worsened the serious droughts in parts of the east, west and central China, impacting the agriculture in these regions.

Farmers have had to postpone the time for the autumn sowing, which should be done after the summer harvesting. They are worried about missing the right season.

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