Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, is
facing an electric load shortfall of 1 million kilowatts due to
prolonged bad weather and post-festival higher demand of power by
local companies.
Severe winter weather damaged transmission lines that bring
power from central Hunan and southwestern Guizhou Provinces. At
present, the city's power load is about 5 million kw, but the
summer peak last year was 9.28 million kw, said a spokesman of the
provincial power supply bureau on Monday.
Priority is being given to restoring residential customers.
Effective immediately, all energy-intensive enterprises and
heavy pollutant producers have had service suspended. Users of
power lines of 110 kilovolts or more must reduce production
capacity by half, according to the city's plan for the first
quarter. Large industries were also required to cut output by 30
percent, according to the plan.
Most enterprises in Guangzhou reopened after the Spring Festival
holiday, which contributed to soaring power demand, the spokesman
added.
The bureau had sent nearly 800 workers to repair damaged
electricity facilities in Guizhou and northern Guangdong, said the
spokesman.
(Xinhua News Agency February 19, 2008)