Why a desperate China is turning its lights off

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China’s economy is gobbling up record levels of energy, and it does not have enough coal to power it. Last year’s ban on coal imports from Australia has made matters worse, reports Eryk Bagshaw. china climate energy

The first time Chinese textile executive Eric Zhou heard the power was going to be turned off was in mid-September.

By September 26, the companies in his city of Shaoxing were split into groups from A to D. High tech, low emissions, big taxpaying factories were put into group A were and told they were allowed to operate for eight days and stop for two. Those at the bottom of the pile – the low tech, high emissions, inefficient producers like steel, cement and chemical manufacturers in group D could operate for four days and stop for six.

China’s economy is gobbling up record levels of energy, and it does not have enough coal to power it. Chinese domestic coal production has failed to keep up with demand, and global shipping has been hit by COVID-19 and weather disruptions, all at the same time as Beijing has cut off its largest source of imports, Australia, over diplomatic and trade disputes.

“The grid companies have responded to complaints from customers by saying that they have no power to dispatch because demand is high and supply is tight,” said Ms Zhang and her colleague David Fishman at the “This is the first case we know of where power consumers in China were asked to accept higher power costs to keep their lights on.”

 

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I remember in 1996 that big cities in China were essentially dark after midnight. Sometimes sooner. Back to the future?

And India is laughing right now. Snatching the coal China banned

But what about renewable energy?

China bit it’s own foot picking on Australia.

Blimey nothing anti China in that wordy spray.

Could be preparing to hit Taiwan, practising dark city's from retribution strikes from Alliance bombers, as was in WW2.

Karma is a bitch!

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