China to boost coal use as drought-fuelled power shortages trigger electricity rationing, factory closures

Parts of southern China have been gripped by record temperatures and drought in recent months, including major economic centres along the Yangtze River

Vice-Premier Han Zheng, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, has called for stronger support for coal power as hydropower reservoirs dry up

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Parts of southern China have been gripped by record temperatures and drought in recent months. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 7:30pm, 18 Aug 2022

China will step up support for coal-fired power plants and miners to ensure stable energy supply, Vice-Premier Han Zheng has said, as a scorching summer heatwave drives electricity demand to record levels and threatens to cause hydropower shortages in the Yangtze River basin.

Parts of southern China have been gripped by record temperatures and drought in recent months, with water levels in the country’s largest river, the Yangtze, at all-time lows.

Most of the country’s major economic and manufacturing hubs are situated along the river, including Sichuan, Chongqing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, all of which have experienced electricity shortages that have disrupted businesses and residential use.

Desperate to avoid a repeat of a weeks-long power crunch that hit the world’s second largest economy last year, China’s leaders have vowed to ensure energy security, even if it means boosting coal consumption that could threaten climate goals.

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Han, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, said the construction of coal projects should be accelerated and joint ventures between coal mines and coal-fired electricity generators should be “vigorously promoted”, as well as coal and renewable energy partnerships.