CaixinFour things to know about China's power crunch
Heat wave cripples hydropower, with effects rippling across national economy
A farmer in a village outside Chongqing in southwestern China stands in the basin of a community reservoir on Aug. 20 after its retaining wall started to leak and hot weather and drought conditions accelerated the loss of water. © AP
CHEN XUEWAN, FAN RUOHONG and DENISE JIA, Caixin
August 26, 2022 15:20 JST
The record heat wave in Sichuan is drying up reservoirs and crippling hydropower stations -- the largest source of renewable energy -- causing a power crunch and forcing electricity cuts to businesses and households across the southwestern province of 84 million people.