Heat waves in Asia are expected to hit China this summer, threatening a new wave of power shortages that disrupted global supply chains around the world last year, from cars to solar panels.
This summer, the electricity supply situation across the country will be tight, China Energy News, a state-run agency, reported, citing the National Power System Research Institute. The central, eastern and southwestern provinces (the most populous) are likely to experience shortages during peak demand periods, according to the institute. The situation is described by the analytical agency Bloomberg.
A heatwave is already scorching parts of Asia before the official start of summer, sending temperatures soaring to record highs of 45 degrees in Vietnam. All public establishments are closed due to the inability to provide air conditioning. India has already received a warning of a power outage in the near future due to the impending cataclysm. According to scientists from research groups such as World Weather Attribution, climate change is exacerbating the frequency of extreme weather events.
The dire situation in Vietnam is a lesson for China, which prepares as best it can for blackouts and dry summers when rivers dry up. Wind farms are being built, huge clusters of solar panels are being installed. But that won’t be enough, scientists warn. Therefore, permission was given for increased use of coal for production.
Additional electrical capacities will also be needed to organize the pumping of water in the main pipelines to ensure at least some irrigation of agricultural land in order to save the harvest. All of Beijing’s other climate targets back down in the face of danger to people and the economy. Of course, the PRC will not abandon its ambitious plans, but their implementation will be postponed indefinitely.
Given these unfavorable forecasts, Beijing will most likely become Europe’s most stubborn and serious competitor for gas and other energy resources, receiving them from all global suppliers at once. The predicted heat wave in Asia will be a major headache in the EU in the coming months. It is likely that China will even stop hiding its energy needs and demand in the coming weeks as it tries to keep prices from rising. Now all those “games” will fade and the quotes of all fuel types will skyrocket.
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