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As a severe power crunch roils China’s northeastern industrial heartland, senior officials face mounting pressure from alarmed citizens to ramp up coal imports thick and fast in order to keep lights on, factories open and even water supplies flowing.
With electricity shortages sparked by scant coal supply crippling large sections of industry, the governor of Jilin province, one of the hardest hit in the world’s number two economy, called for a surge in coal imports, while a power company association said supply was being expanded “at any cost”.
News organisations and social media carried reports and posts saying the lack of power in the northeast had shut down traffic lights, residential elevators and 3G mobile phone coverage as well as triggering factory shutdowns.
A utility in Jilin even warned power shortages could disrupt water supplies at any time, before apologising for causing alarm.
Cities such as Shenyang and Dalian – home to more than 13 million people – have been affected, with disruption at factories owned by suppliers to global companies like Apple and Tesla.
Jilin is one of more than 10 provinces that have been forced to ration power as generators feel the heat of soaring coal prices that they can’t pass on to consumers.
Multiple channels needed
Speaking to local power firms on Monday, Han Jun, the governor of Jilin province, with a population of close to 25 million people, said “multiple channels” needed to be set up to guarantee coal supplies, and China should source more from Russia, Mongolia and Indonesia.
He said the province would also urgently dispatch special teams to secure supply contracts in the neighbouring region of Inner Mongolia, according to the province’s official WeChat social media account.
Goldman Sachs estimated that as much as 44 percent of China’s industrial activity has been affected by power shortages, potentially causing a 1-percentage point decline in annualised GDP growth in the third quarter, and a 2-percentage point drop from October to December.
It said in a note published on Tuesday that it was cutting its 2021 GDP growth forecast for China to 7.8 percent, from the previous 8.2 percent.
