Shanghai may face power cuts this summer

Shanghai, China’s largest city, may be plunged into darkness as the city’s overburdened power-distribution network lags behind its rapid economic growth, state press reported Friday.

The power supply to 1,000 families and businesses in Pudong New Area, a financial district, had to be cut off briefly on Wednesday after a major transformer collapsed on an abrupt spike in demand, the Shanghai Daily said.


“Such measures will be inevitable this summer, or we will have an even bigger problem,” said Li Xinzhang, a spokesman from Shidong Power Supply Co, a major supplier, according to the paper.

In 2007, the city’s electricity demand is forecast to increase 10 percent from last year to 21 million kilowatts in peak times, the paper said.

AFP