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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| China's dynamic Zhejiang province braces for power outages |
| 2005-06-06 |
| To ease expected power shortages this summer, Zhejiang Province plans to control the use of energy in order to maintain supplies. Nine different contingency measures have been planned, and will be introduced depending on the extent of the shortages, which could range from 1 million kilowatts to 9 million kilowatts, according to a statement released by the province's Economic and Trade Commission and its Electric Power Bureau. The province is facing the most severe power shortages in its history, with an estimated maximum shortage of around 8 million kilowatts in the coming months, said the statement. Small-scale steel mills will be asked to stop operations when there are severe shortages. Meanwhile, energy-consuming industries such as cement production and electroplating will temporarily be stopped from operating or be forced to reduce production by half from July to August, according to the statement. Other enterprises, which require continuous production, such as the chemical industry, papermaking, and printing will be required to temporarily halt their operations for 10-15 days for machine checks. At the same time, a number of local construction sites involved in non-essential industrial or infrastructure projects are supposed to stop working whenever the temperature reaches a specific level. air conditioners Moreover, local government departments, official buildings, hotels, large retail facilities and entertainment venues will not be allowed to use air conditioners unless the temperature exceeds 30 C. They will only be allowed to operate half of their air-conditioners during peak hours, from 8 am to 11 am and 6 pm to 10 pm. Local street lamps, and lights for advertising and scenic spots will be turned off to maintain ordinary people's supplies, except during holidays. "We will continue to experience electricity shortages this year and we will try our best to make sure most citizens have a supply of electricity," said Jin Deshui, vice-governor of Zhejiang Province. According to local weather forecasters, Zhejiang will experience a hot summer this year. Frequent use of air-conditioners will make power shortages more severe, said Jin. He said a lack of coal in the country was also a problem as the province's power supply is mainly based on coal. It has become impossible to buy power from other provinces in the summer. Everywhere will have shortages this year, said Jin. Zhejiang Province has a shortfall of 5.87 billion kilowatts of electricity last year. Power shortages have become a major issue in many parts of China since 2003. Nineteen out of 31 province-level regions on the Chinese mainland suffered from power shortages in 2003. That number rose to 24 last year. |
| Posted by:gromky |
| #14 Oh, you nailed it, Frank G. NO insulation. Concrete or cinder-block walls. China is backwards in so many ways. |
| Posted by: gromky 2005-06-06 23:42 |
| #13 or lost - damn lisp |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-06-06 22:02 |
| #12 yep - and how much efficiency i.e.: insulation have the Chinese required? I bet little - means the energy expended to cool living areas i sost to the sky... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-06-06 22:01 |
| #11 I don't know if he'll see it, but I keep meaning to ask Zhang Fei, who just mentioned subsidized power and reminded me of my other, older question: Is the Chinese government subsidizing steel prices to steel-intensive industries, like tubular goods? |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-06-06 21:14 |
| #10 Well, I had a small wall unit in the bedroom for nighttime, and a standup unit for the rest of the house. The country would really benefit from central air conditioning. I don't think I've seen any place that has it save specialized housing for foreigners. And, sadly, I had to give up the 1400 sq ft masterpiece...I live in a much less posh two-bedroom joint now...should be easier on the bills...waaaaaah. That's assuming the power stays on all summer. I had one power outage at my apartment last year...I assume that some important person who lived in the same building got on the horn to the power company, and told them not to do it again. |
| Posted by: gromky 2005-06-06 14:27 |
| #9 gromky: Zhang Fei, I regularly got power bills for 800RMB/mo ($100 USD) last summer, running a standing unit AC. Of course, I ran it during the day, as that's when it's freaking hot. The Chinese can keep their sweltering offices with open windows letting in the polluted air. Was this to cool your entire 3-bedroom apartment, or just one bedroom? |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-06-06 13:38 |
| #8 Zhang Fei, I regularly got power bills for 800RMB/mo ($100 USD) last summer, running a standing unit AC. Of course, I ran it during the day, as that's when it's freaking hot. The Chinese can keep their sweltering offices with open windows letting in the polluted air. |
| Posted by: gromky 2005-06-06 12:50 |
| #7 Australia will sell them the coal .com, lots closer. AC will do it every time, it's that threat of an AC peak. Wonder what their winter peak is relative. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-06-06 12:09 |
| #6 Oops, overlapped with your last, ZF... I was trying to remember how to spell Poughkeepsie, lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-06-06 11:26 |
| #5 I'm wondering, is this a lack of the resource, a lack of mining production, or a lack of generation capacity? It sounds like he's saying the first, when it seems more likely to be the second... at least for now. If they've actually begun to run out of accessible coal reserves and have no more of a plan to address it other than rolling brownouts, then Communism will fry in the summer heat. Morons. Yo, Communist throwbacks: Demand outstripping supply - for lack of mining or generating capacity - is a no-brainer in the Capitalist world, lol! Morons. I think there are some companies, particularly in the Western US, who would love to sell them coal - assuming they would be willing to pay the freight halfway around the world for something as bulky as coal... I'm thinking the trade deficit / balance of payments and that pegged currency all would play well in Poughkeepsie, er, so to speak. Welcome, Friends, lol! Tell me, is that bubble wall starting to look a little thin and threadbare to you? ;-) |
| Posted by: .com 2005-06-06 11:24 |
| #4 When the Chinese government talks about a lack of resources, it is actually referring to a lack of *cheap* resources, not an actual shortage of the commodity in question. Pre-war Japanese officials also used to talk about a lack of (cheap) resources, which they attempted to remedy via their southern expeditions. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-06-06 11:03 |
| #3 The example referred to one 8000 BTU room air conditioner. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-06-06 11:00 |
| #2 EY: Seriously, though, this could get interesting. Is rationing really the best way to handle this? And what's to say shortages will stop at 9 million kilowatts? China has no inherent shortage of power. The reason that the government is rationing power is not because new power plants can't be built, but because the government massively subsidizes power. The average Chinese power bill, running one air-conditioner at night during the summer, is about $15. In NYC, it is $120, using hydroelectric power purchased from Canada. Think about the scale of the subsidy. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-06-06 10:59 |
| #1 B-b-but they're supposed to be the land of coal, and milk and honey and endless resources ...! And consumers ... [/sarcasm] Seriously, though, this could get interesting. Is rationing really the best way to handle this? And what's to say shortages will stop at 9 million kilowatts? |
| Posted by: Edward Yee 2005-06-06 10:17 |