200 Million Face Fuel Shortages This Winter In China - Guardian

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"Some 200 million people could be left out in the cold in China this winter, the state-run media warned yesterday, as energy shortages threatened the traditional switching on of the nation's centrally planned central heating system. For more than 30 years, November 15 has been the day when Beijing's municipal managers turn on boilers, radiators and immersion heaters in a synchronised city-wide warm-up ahead of sub-zero temperatures that become the norm at this time of year.

But this year, the authorities warn that coal production has failed to match the demand for power, which has risen sharply as increased economic affluence has driven up sales of electric heaters, hot blankets, televisions and DVD players. The China Daily said Beijing has only 50% of the coal it needs this winter, while Jilin has stores of 40%, half the level of this time last year.

City dwellers in 14 provinces across northern China plus Shandong and Henan in the east and central regions have been hardest hit. "The authorities in cities across northern ... China have been put to a hard test in securing winter heating for their residents as temperatures continue to plummet," China Daily reported yesterday.

Although the onset of the chill has been slower than last year, weather forecasters said temperatures would fall to zero last night. By the end of December, the ice on most lakes and ponds in Beijing is thick enough for skating. Like many cities in China, Beijing has struggled to rein in the demand for energy. Although authorities have raised prices this year, their conservation efforts have been hampered by a collectivised heating network that supplies entire blocks of flats rather than metering individuals."

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1351983,00.html