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China’s power crisis

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China’s power crisis
China is used to seeing power supply cuts in parts of the country each year, but their frequency has increased sharply since the second half of 2020, escalating to a crisis in September 2021. Potential causes include Beijing-dictated carbon reduction targets to lower emissions, and an urgent shortage of coal.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
A Long March-5 rocket is seen at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China. The much larger Long March-9, a reusable heavy-lift rocket, will be used to realise plans for the solar power station in space. Photo: Xinhua via AP
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China has unveiled a renewable-energy-substitution plan that spans multiple industries. Photo: AFP
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Beijing urged to quell ‘fluctuations and volatility’ stifling renewable energy

Power capacity and infrastructure are vital to China’s green transition and hi-tech ambitions, but ‘power abandonment’ is a critical setback.

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No global climate targets without China: German minister calls to give up coal

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Robert Habeck says extension of the power grid and use of batteries to store energy could reduce the number of traditionally fuelled power plants needed to meet China’s needs. Photo: dpa
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The proposed legislation is meant to encourage China’s transition to low-carbon energy. Photo: Xinhua
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China’s new oil rig, the Enping 21-4 A1H wellhead platform, can produce 700 tonnes of oil per day, according to state media. Photo: CCTV
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China says the output of coal mines must be increased to address power concerns. Photo: AFP
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China is expected to generate 440 TWh of clean electricity from solar, wind, hydro and nuclear sources in 2023, exceeding the country’s 10-year average electricity demand growth of 367 TWh for the first time. Photo: AFP
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Excavators transfer coal at a port in Lianyungang, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province, on May 24, 2023. Photo: AFP
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Excavators transfer coal at a port in China’s Jiangsu province. The country has ramped up coal power supplies since the hydropower crisis in Sichuan province last summer. Photo: AFP
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China is on high alert for possible power supply shortages during the summer peak season that could cripple its manufacturing and industrial production. Photo: AFP
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Women use an umbrella to shelter from the sun amid hot weather in Shanghai. Shanghai on May 29 recorded its hottest May in 100 years, shattering the previous high by a full degree. Photo: AFP
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The Heishanxia section of the Yellow River in China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Photo: Xinhua
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