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Low temperatures strain power supply
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Low temperatures caused by a strong cold front are straining electricity and gas supplies in south China. Authorities have been doing all they can to restore normal supplies for residents to cope with the cold winter days.
A cargo ship full of coal is approaching the Shanghai port, escorted by a nearby vessel.
This is part of the city authorities' emergency measures to return the power supply to normal.
Just four days ago, a sharp surge in the use of electricity for heating resulted in the failure of five large power generator units in the city. The consequences have been quickly felt. The city's power grid lost around 1 and a half million kilowatts of its generating capacity, prompting authorities to go all out to make up the difference.
The State Grid quickly lent a helping hand, transferring 600-thousand kilowatts of electricity from the Three Gorges Dam to Shanghai. The East China power grid allocated an equal amount for emergency use. The five generator units have begun operating again. But authorities say the supply is expected to remain tight for quite a few days, due to the continued cold weather.
Shanghai's pains are also being felt in nearby Anhui province. Due to heavy snow and low temperatures, the city of Anqing suffered its worst ever power outage last Sunday. The power supply was cut off in nearly 640-thousand households. Emergency repairs have managed to restore supply in urban areas. While the situation is expected to return to normal no later than Sunday.
The cold wave is also taking its toll elsewhere in south China. In Hunan province, liquefied natural gas is in high demand. The three cities of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan are short a combined 400-thousand cubic meters. Many taxi drivers in Xiangtan have been forced to refuel in Zhuzhou where supplies are more plentiful.
A taxi driver of Xiangtan in Hunan province, said, "We have to wait for at least 3 hours to get refilled with gas in Xiangtan. But a round trip to Zhuzhou only takes about one hour. And we only consume several yuan worth gas on the way. There is no better choice under the current circumstance."
To ensure an adequate gas supply to residents, many enterprises in Zhuzhou have volunteered to reduce their gas consumption level. Some of them have even completely stopped using gas and resorted to diesel for the time being.
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