China burns more coal as drought cripples hydropower system

Hydroelectricity production fell 50% in the province of Sichuan, which provides 21% of China’s hydropower

Chinese energy authorities are burning more coal as severe droughts affect the nation’s ability to generate power through hydroelectric dams.

The Yangtze River, which runs through much of the country and enters the East China Sea near Shanghai, has dried up in parts amid the worst drought in six decades and has caused supply chain disruptions.

As hydroelectricity production fell 50% in the province of Sichuan, which provides 21% of China’s hydropower, Sichuan Coal Industry Group more than doubled its coal production to nearly 15,000 metric tons per day, according to government-run news outlet Sichuan Daily.

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Meanwhile, China has directed factories in Sichuan — a critical manufacturing region in which many Tesla suppliers operate — to operate without power until August 25. The American automaker is still recovering from a two-month lockdown in Shanghai that ground activity in the city of 26 million to a halt earlier this year.

Read more: Daily Wire