China has been facing a major heat wave for several days: in some places, temperatures have risen to 45°C. A rise in mercury that is part of the context of a difficult summer for the country, marked by heat records, flash floods and periods of drought.
The heat wave has lowered the level of the Yangtze River, the country’s most important inland waterway, to unprecedented proportions in some places, according to official data. Therefore, the country is testing various methods, first to counteract the drought. Among them, cloud seeding operations.
In several provinces along the river, Chinese planes drop silver iodide into the clouds, using small cylindrical projectiles the size of a cigarette. The introduction of chemicals should allow the droplets and ice crystals that form clouds to grow, thus facilitating precipitation. The results of these operations remain, for the time being, mixed.
Bund illuminations reduced
Given the general drop in river levels, and therefore in hydroelectric production, the electricity grid is also under pressure as air conditioners run at full speed.
À Shanghai, pour économiser l’électricité, la mairie a donc appelé dimanche soir à éteindre les “illuminations décoratives” le long de l’avenue du Bund et de l’autre côté du fleuve Huangpu, dans une partie du quartier de Lujiazui, pendant two days. The Bund Avenue is particularly known for offering a breathtaking view of the skyscrapers of Lujiazui, lit up in a thousand lights at night with countless giant advertising screens and even beams of light.
In the southwestern municipality-province of Chongqing, home to 31 million people, shopping malls will only be allowed to open temporarily from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to save electricity, authorities said on Monday. The measure will be applied until “the temperature and the supply and demand situation” return to acceptable levels, they said.
electricity rationing
In the province of Sichuan, in the southwest of the country, the authorities activated the highest level of emergency in the face of the heat wave. Since last week, Sichuan has been rationing electricity, with many factories and businesses closed and intermittent power outages for some residents.
Major car manufacturers like Toyota have factories in the province. It is also home to many parts manufacturers that play a crucial role in global automotive supply chains.
The electricity rationing was supposed to end on Saturday, but was extended until Thursday. These difficulties pose a challenge to China’s economic livelihood, as the coastal regions of Jiangsu and Zhejiang receive electricity from Sichuan.
Source: BFM TV
