China endures power deficit

As many as 270 transmission lines in China were frozen, the Southern Power Grid Corp revealed. The regions of Guangxi and Guizhou in southwest China hit particularly hard by snow and ice.

Shandong province on the eastern coast, a big coal and power producer, has an estimated capacity deficit of about 3,000 megawatts, and transmission of electricity to other provinces has been disrupted following the breakdown of a number of generators.

Peak power loads are also surging in Zhejiang province as a result of the plunge in temperatures, with the daily capacity deficit now at 2,000 megawatts. Enterprises are being encouraged to switch to night shifts in order to ease the strain.

Big energy consuming industries endured a wave of restrictions in the second half of 2010 as part of Beijing's efforts to meet national efficiency targets, and their recovery in the new year has contributed to the current power crisis.