Blackouts are result of a misjudgment of power demands in light of rapid growth
The central government has admitted it may have underestimated the severity of the power shortage that has been dimming the lights on much of the mainland.
A Xinhua commentary released yesterday acknowledged there were severe energy shortages in 18 provinces, regions and municipalities, with Shanghai and Zhejiang being particularly hard hit.
'After a rare heat wave struck many parts of China in the summer and caused severe energy shortages in Shanghai, Zhejiang province and other places, the Chinese government began to re-evaluate the power supply-and-demand situation and altered its previous, rather optimistic, attitude,' the report said.
In recent months, Shanghai has intermittently cut supply to thousands of major industrial users, including prominent foreign investors such as Volkswagen and General Motors.
City officials expect the shortages to continue until 2010 - and possibly beyond.
