Over the past few years, China has been struggling with a seasonal shortage of electricity, which has triggered power cuts in many provinces during periods of peak demand in the summer. In August 2021, some 20 provinces underwent power rationing. The summer of 2022 saw another power shortage hit the southwestern province of Sichuan, one of the country's biggest hydropower suppliers, as high temperatures drove up demand for cooling while prolonged droughts dried up local waterways.

This summer, the threat of large-scale power shortages once again looms large over China, as severe heatwaves and post-COVID economic rebounds have combined to stoke up power consumption. In the face of surging power demands, experts have been calling for an upgrade of the country's energy infrastructure, so that it can be better prepared for potential power crunches.

One possible strategy is to install more energy storage facilities. As China continues to push for an extensive conversion of fossil fuels to clean energies, there is an increasing demand for energy storage infrastructure, which, by capturing energy for later use, can accommodate the intermittency of wind and solar power.

Power suppliers should also strengthen interregional cooperation to foster a better coordinated network of power transmission. For years, the country has relied on a west-to-east electricity transfer program to balance power supply between its more developed coastal regions and its resource-rich inland provinces. However, with the rapid development of China's western regions, tension has deepened between local power needs and those of the eastern provinces. Perhaps now is the time for China to establish a more flexible power system to address the competing demands of its different regions.

(China Newsweek, July 31)