With summer yet to reach southern China, power shortages have been spreading from one province to another, prompting the National Development and Reform Commission to warn that the nation will see its most serious shortages in recent years.
But why is all this happening before the usual time of peak demand arrives? The press has been discussing its causes and possible solutions.
Much of this year's rise in demand, as three writers from a research body affiliated to the NDRC point out in the China Economic Herald, comes from industries that should have been phased out - such as those based on high energy consumption and high labour input.
The central government decided in 2006 to close down inefficient production facilities but until now, 'achievement has been limited' because 'a planned-economy approach, rather than a market economy one, has been followed', according to the three researchers.
Many high energy-consuming production lines were unplugged last year to meet the central government's five-year targets for energy cuts. But this year, they are back in operation because the local governments still rely on them for tax revenue and jobs.
Apparently, there is insufficient incentive for local governments to follow Beijing's industrial policy.
In fact, from January to February, when light industry's electricity demand rose 6 per cent year on year, heavy industry, which consumes four times as much power, went up 12.5 per cent. Meanwhile, service industries from retail to banking all saw their growth slow over the same period.
