Energy crisis hits China as power outages spread

摘要

A countrywide power supply shortage in China is forcing factories in its energy supply chain to close temporarily or scale back operations drastically, and some of them are pinning the blame on government directives for provinces to curb their energy consumption and carbon emissions. Sixteen of China's 34 provinces and regions have announced power cuts and informed factories to operate on power-rationing systems, which means some will be forced to scale back operations from seven days a week to two or three. In the hardest-hit province of Liaoning, in the north-east, 23 people were sent to hospital suffering from gas poisoning last week after ventilation in a metal-casting factory was shut off due to a power outage, China' Central TV reported. The power pinch is unlikely to abate soon and some factories have decided to send workers home, offering them a month of leave.