China’s power crisis has worsened as more factories shutter while an extreme heatwave spreads across southwestern China, according to a report from Nikkei Asia on Aug. 17.
The municipal authorities in Chongqing ordered all factories, including foreign-owned factories, to suspend operations through Aug. 24, in order to conserve power as the heatwave causes a surge in electricity demand due to air conditioner use.
Many key industries are heavily concentrated in the Liangjiang area of Chongqing, primarily in the automobile, electronics, and computer sector.
The companies in the metropolitan region that were affected include the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-owned Chongqing Changan Automobile, Ford Motor, BYD Auto, and key Taiwanese electronics manufacturers….