Scorching temperatures across China are straining power grids as the country tries to ramp up industrial activity to support the economy, while farmers scramble to save crops such as rice and cotton from the impact of the searing heat.
Several regions have already posted record power demand and have cut electricity to factories at peak hours to make sure there’s enough to keep air conditioners running. Rice crops and fruit and vegetables in southern China are at risk of being damaged by the heat, and melting glaciers are causing floods in the cotton-growing regions of Xinjiang.
At a briefing on Wednesday, the National Energy Administration pointed to a 52% increase in power plant inventories to 170 million tons at the end of the first half, a record for that time of year. But those stockpiles will have since been depleted by over a month of persistently hot weather. Inventories held in six power plants in the industry-heavy coastal regions dropped to a four-year low last week of less than 12 days usage, according to China Coal Resources.
The focus is now on southern China and another bout of hot weather that’s expected over the next 10 days, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
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