Shanghai faces 2 gigawatt power shortage this summer

SHANGHAI faces a power shortage of up to 2 gigawatt this summer, about 7 percent of its peak demand, government officials said, as the city works on securing more supply from other provinces.

The maximum power load is expected to reach 28.5-29GW during the summer when sweltering residents crank up their air conditioning, up 11 percent from last year, Zhou Minhao, vice director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, said today.

The supply capacity is 28GW, including 8.7GW from other provinces. That means a supply gap of 1.5-2GW, considering that 1GW of capacity is usually reserved for emergency use, Zhou said.

Zhou said Shanghai is negotiating with grid companies to secure additional supply from the Xiangjiaba hydropower station in southwestern China and the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station in neighboring Zhejiang Province.

The city will also step up maintenance on its existing power plants in the spring to ensure they can function in stable conditions in the summer, he told a government work conference.

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