BEIJING - The key north Chinese port of Tianjin faces blackouts as soaring temperatures strain its power system and is planning to bring in flexible working shifts to ward off a crunch, the official Xinhua agency said on Wednesday.
Temperatures had hit 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) and if they remain high for three to four days, there would be power cuts in parts of the city, Xinhua said.
China, which last year faced its worst power crunch in two decades, is gearing up for another summer of brownouts with generators nationwide expected to crank out 25 to 30 gigawatts less than consumers want to use. Despite floods in the south of the country, much of northern China is currently battling a heatwave that has driven temperatures in the capital Beijing -- where around 40 percent of summer power demand comes from air-conditioning units -- to nearly 40 C (104 F).
Officials in Tianjin have set up a colour-coded warning system to try to avert collapse, with each stage bringing in new energy saving measures ranging from a change in working hours to scheduled blackouts.
More than 30,000 firms have already signed up to change their shifts to try to balance consumption. Peak electricity demand could outpace supply by up to 500 megawatts, the report quoted an official from the municipal power company saying.
Tianjin has capacity of around 5.5 gigawatts if its generators are working at full stretch, but high temperatures mean peak demand could hit 6 gigawatts, the Xinhua quoted Pan Jun, an official with the municipal power company, as saying.
In the case of a cut, priority supply would be given to residential areas, high-tech enterprises where blackouts are more likely to damage goods being manufactured, and ventures with foreign investors, Xinhua said.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
