Why is China struggling with severe power outages?

China is currently facing a massive power shortage; nearly millions of homes are in darkness. The power crunch first began in factories in late August and spread like wildfire by mid-to-late September. The power rationing affected not only a large-scale industry but also commercial users, residents, and even traffic lights, causing long traffic jams!

The power shortage is dreadful in three provinces comprising Northeast China. Sources say several companies that supply to Apple and Tesla have halted production. Street lights were switched off, and residents were asked to use stairs, and many shops even operated by candlelight. Here we’ve listed few reasons that led to the electricity shortage.

1. Expensive coal

Coal is one of the main reasons for China’s power outages. Fuel coal prices had been constantly on the rise. Han Jun, Jilin provincial governor, urges coal supplies from Russia, Indonesia, and Mongolia.

The reason for the power outage is that coal is more expensive this year, and in previous years it was imported into China from abroad, says a Jilin resident.

2. Energy Dual Control

Dual control is nothing, but it refers to energy consumption and energy intensity in which consumption is the total volume of power consumed, and intensity is the ratio between energy consumed and output. Some provinces in China have targeted industries that consume high-consumption and high intensity in power rationing.

3. Supply

The other reason for a power outage is lower than usual supply in provinces that are particularly reliant on intermittent fuel sources. In most of 2021, Yunnan, a Chinese province, had a tight power supply as its supply mainly comprises hydropower.
This is one of the most significant power outages that China has faced in the past decade.