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| It is unclear how many homes have been affected.The country is highly dependent on coal for power. But over the weekend residents in some cities saw their power cut intermittently as well, with the hashtag "North-east electricity cuts" and other related phrases trending on Twitter-like social media platform Weibo. (Photo by=Getty Images) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] As an electricity shortage that initially hit factories spreads to homes, residents in northeast China are experiencing unannounced power cuts. BBC reported that people living in Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces have complained on social media about the lack of heating, and lifts and traffic lights not working.
Local media said the cause was a rise in coal prices leading to short supply. One power company said that it expected the power cuts to last until spring next year, saying unexpected outages will become "the new normal". Its post however was later deleted. The energy shortage at first affected manufacturers across the country, many of whom have had to curb or stop production in recent weeks. The extent of the blackouts is not yet clear, but nearly 100 million people live in the three provinces.
There were also reports of some who were hospitalized after they used stoves in poorly ventilated rooms for heating, and people living in high-rise buildings who had to climb up and down dozens of flights of stairs as their lifts weren’t functioning. Social media posts from the affected region said the situation was similar to living in neighboring North Korea. Power restrictions are already in place for factories in 10 other provinces, including manufacturing bases in Shandong, Guangdong, and Jiangsu.
