Topic

China’s power crisisi

China is used to seeing power supply cuts in parts of the country each year, but their frequency has increased sharply since the second half of 2020, escalating to a crisis in September 2021. Potential causes include Beijing-dictated carbon reduction targets to lower emissions, and an urgent shortage of coal.

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China’s desire for its economic growth to decelerate but for the slowdown to not be too fast highlights the dilemma for Beijing as it treads the fine line between suffering short-term pain to ensure its long-term success.

  • The southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, China’s major producers of hydroelectric power, have been contending with drought
  • Dry spell threatens more than just agriculture, as memories of recent blackouts loom large and conditions could stunt aluminium sector
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China is at risk of missing its climate targets and suffering major economic losses unless it takes decisive actions to put a halt to runaway coal power plant expansion and reform outdated power grid management, says Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

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A new national backup system for coal production will seek to stabilise prices and ensure sufficient supplies as energy security is increasingly prioritised across the country.

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Record clean energy installations could help China’s power sector to reach peak emissions in the next two years, but continued investment in coal-based capacity and a lack of firm emissions targets could undermine optimism about the country’s green transition, according to climate researchers.

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China’s State Council also puts the onus on local governments to bolster support for those most in need, including the poor and elderly, while also vowing to keep them warm this winter.

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Visiting the Zhegu Wind Farm in Tibet could literally take your breath away at well over three miles above sea level, and Beijing sees it as an ideal place for a power play in its energy-security push.

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Beijing’s pledge to phase down coal use starting in 2026 appears to be in jeopardy amid a building spree for new coal-fired plants, energy analysts say.

Most new projects are in areas that do not lack generating capacity, says report from Global Energy Monitor and Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

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Huge processing vessel undocks as a chorus of calls and suggestions flag energy security pitfalls and seek action from Beijing at a time of internal and external uncertainties.

China is unlikely to see large-scale power shortages this summer even with heatwaves driving up demand for cooling and more frequent droughts threatening the country’s hydropower output, analysts said.

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The largest and most extensive joint exercise in China’s eastern region aims to ensure that extreme summer weather will not cripple power grids, shut down manufacturing or leave people in the dark.

Hydropower-reliant Yunnan province cannot generate as much electricity amid low water inflows, and months of diminished rainfall threaten to have a broader impact on other regions.

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With extreme weather set to once again test the nation’s electricity grid after heatwaves and drought last year, the Chinese government has been quick to respond to the threat, according to The Lantau Group.

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Energy-intensive aluminium production in the hydropower-reliant Chinese province helps drive the regional economy, but authorities say that persistent drought conditions necessitate power rationing.

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New coal power capacity under development in China rose 38 per cent to 366GW last year, while it fell 20 per cent in rest of the world, according to a report by climate NGOs.

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China embarked on a massive expansion of its coal-fired power capacity in response to last summer’s historic power crisis, approving the equivalent of two large coal power plants per week, new research has found.

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Coal power plants picked up the slack for hydroelectric plants in Sichuan province during a summer 2022 drought, but they also consumed enough water for 1.2 million people every day, analysts say.

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Renewable energy offers abundant economic opportunities, but critics question if a green-energy build-up will be enough for the northeast region to counter the ingrained economic issues that have hindered its past efforts at revitalisation.

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Countries such as China, Japan and South Korea are storing fuel, varying sources and saving energy to establish sufficient supplies for the colder months after grappling with soaring prices.

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Amid China’s economic downturn and regulatory uncertainties, the new-energy industry remains a bright spot, attracting abundant capital and creating lucrative business opportunities.

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The decrease reflected weakening demand in August amid power shortages, fresh Covid-19 flare-ups that disrupted production, and escalating tensions between the US and China.

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Just weeks after China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, suspended climate talks with the US, Beijing’s climate envoy has slammed developed countries for falling short on climate financing.

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China’s Premier Li Keqiang Beijing has said companies are facing more difficulties than during the initial coronavirus outbreak in 2020 and pledged to unveil additional support policies this month.

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Market sentiment has already been affected by Beijing’s unyielding zero-Covid policy and the ongoing housing market woes, any further shocks could drain demand for risk appetite, analysts say.

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China is facing a power shortage due to heatwaves and drought, affecting the Yangtze River basin in particular, home to several manufacturing hubs and a large population.

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