Originally published November 4 2005
Manufacturing regions in China seek alternative energies to prevent blackouts and shortages
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Many manufacturing plants on the Yangtze River Delta can only operate four days out of the week due to blackouts. Officials, however, are attempting to mend this problem by seeking alternative and renewable resources.
The Yangtze River Delta is one of the richest areas in China.
But the region is poor in energy resources and in the last couple of years this economic engine house of the country was strangled by repeated power cuts.
Statistics show 24 provincial regions in China were forced to rationed power supply in 2004.
The problem took place when China witnessed an unprecedented growth of energy production, which was even faster than its GDP growth in the period of 2001-2005.
Last year energy output reached the equivalent of 1.97 billion tons of coal, up 15 percent on a year before.
In terms of installed power generating capacity, the growth rate was 14.5 percent or a net increase of 50,500 MW.
Lift of living standards has propelled demand.
But even with major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the per capita consumption of electricity still cannot compare with that of developed countries.
The major factor for the energy shortage was, rather, the overheated and improperly structured economy, accompanied by a wasteful style of energy utilization.
"The fast growing economy isa basic cause for the power shortage," says Zhou Dadi, director of Energy Institute under the National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC).
Comprehensive, strong measures are needed to address the current shortage in supply, which include the termination of reckless projects to cool down the economy, many analysts say.
Thanks to the booming auto market, China's consumption of oil went up rapidly, by an average of 5.77 percent since 1990, while domestic output grew merely 1.67 percent.
Nuclear power is a new favorite of government policy makers, who envision it as the third pillar of the future power industry, after clean-coal-fired power and hydropower.
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