Sebastien Le Belzic
modified to
11:29 a.m., August 09, 2022
In China too, temperatures are breaking records. After the hottest month of June and then July for more than 60 years, more than 130 cities are still on red alert for the heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 40°C. The authorities are calling for electricity rationing, especially in textile factories where power shortages are already reported.
Jan-Gu has his eyes glued to the thermometer. In recent days, temperatures in its factory have again broken records, exceeding 40 degrees during the day. So, to protect his machines, he must take precautions for everything related to electrical equipment. Control instruments are stored separately, protected from heat and flooding.
Rationing of electricity consumption
“We have a surveillance system that works 24 hours a day to avoid power cuts and as soon as possible, well, we run the machines,” he explains at the microphone of Europe 1. His workers sometimes work from night, especially since during the day, the authorities cut off the power to the most energy-intensive industries, such as polyester producers and textile factories.
Increase in coal consumption
In this province of Zhejiang, 65 million inhabitants and thousands of factories must already ration their electricity consumption. So, to deal with the emergency, China has put all its thermal power stations back into service and is increasing its coal production.
“We send two special trains loaded with coal every day to maintain sufficient stocks and ensure the proper functioning of power plants,” said the man responsible for coordinating the transport of coal in eastern China. The country uses coal to produce 60% of its electricity. A real disaster for the environment. Heat, pollution and coal: an explosive cocktail in China.