Drought threatens hydropower generation in China's Sichuan

CHENGDU, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Drought conditions triggered by sustained hot weather and low precipitation since July have threatened hydropower generation in southwest China's Sichuan Province, said the provincial branch of the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) on Wednesday.

Sichuan has been hit by a long period of excessive heat this summer, with the average precipitation 51 percent less than that of the same period in previous years, according to the company.

The amount of water from major rivers in Sichuan is 20 to 50 percent less, making its hydropower generation capacity decrease drastically, it said.

"Some main reservoirs in Sichuan have dried up. The power generation capacity declines while the gap between supply and demand increases," said Zhou Jian, an engineer with the Sichuan branch of the State Grid.

The province is making every effort to ensure household electricity consumption, advocating enterprises to avoid using electricity during peak hours. There are 25,000 power emergency repair personnel on standby 24 hours a day.

Furthermore, Sichuan now has sufficient coal reserves and supply for power generation. The coal storage in the Sichuan branch of the State Grid has more than tripled compared with the same period of last year.