As the temperature falls, a power shortage brought on by drought in Sichuan, China's largest hydropower producer, has begun to improve, according to official media on Sunday (Aug 28).
The State Grid Corp. was cited by state media as saying that power has been restored for regular industrial and commercial customers. That power will be gradually restored for major industrial users, with the exception of very energy-intensive industries. An extended drought in the Yangtze basin has restricted electrical supply, raising fears that China may experience another devastating power outage.
Zhao Hong, director of the marketing division at Sichuan Electric Power Company of the State Grid, noted that the high temperatures caused a spike in air conditioning demand, which has since decreased by about 12 million kilowatts as the temperatures have dropped.
Residents' daily electricity consumption has also decreased from a maximum of 473 million kilowatt hours to 340 million kilowatt hours. According to Zhao, the disparity between the supply and demand for electricity will essentially be rectified over the course of the next three days.
The western and northern regions of the Sichuan Basin are expected to see torrential rain, according to China's National Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). Due to the rain, the heat in the vicinity of Sichuan and Chongqing will start to dissipate on August 29 and the string of hot days in southern China will probably cease by August 31.
Sichuan produces 30% of China's hydroelectric power, typically providing the rest of the nation with a huge power surplus. But after weeks of little rain and intense heat, it is now getting electricity from other regions.
China is currently dealing with severe weather on multiple fronts, with 18 fatalities and 13 missing after a flash flood that occurred in the country's northwest on Thursday as a result of torrential rainfall. While certain roads in the eastern Jiangsu province were expected to reach a surface temperature of 68 degrees Celsius on Friday, weather officials issued a warning to drivers about the potential of tire punctures.
The country is reportedly seeing the longest stretch of consistently high temperatures since records began in 1961, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
According to scientists, climate change has increased the frequency of extreme weather around the world, and urgent international cooperation is required to prevent an imminent catastrophe. China and the United States are the two biggest polluters in the world.
Beijing, meanwhile, declared earlier this month that it was suspending its partnership with Washington on climate change in retaliation for Nancy Pelosi's travel to Taiwan.
