Efforts to ease nation's power shortage
By Xiao Xie (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-07-05 08:47

Liu Si, a sales manager from a private advertising company in Shanghai, flew to Beijing over the weekend on a regular meeting with her clients. Not long after settling in the Beijing International Hotel, she found the five-star hotel a little warmer than usual.

"What's the matter with the air conditioner?" Li called over a hotel manager.

"We raised the temperature by 2 centigrade at 26C to 28C under a local government's campaign to save electricity," the manager said.

Liu herself is familiar with such situations back in Shanghai, one of the areas most hit by electricity shortages. Local residents in Shanghai are also asked to set temperatures at no lower than 26C. To reduce consumption, the city also switched to low-energy bulbs to light up the outline of Oriental Pearl TV Tower - the city's brandname skyscraper.

As two thirds of the country is experiencing the most serious power shortage in a decade, the country is launching campaigns for energy conservation.

Beijing, which was free from a nation-wide electricity shortfall last year, now requires the turning off of half of the twin lights on roads to weather a potential power shortage this summer.

Government offices, institutions are asked not to turn on lights, if it is bright enough during the day time. They are also to switch off office lights and computer screens after work.

Local televisions are broadcasting special programs to teach tips for electricity saving. Audiences, for instance, are told to press the switch-off button on TV sets, rather than use the remote control, to turn off TV.

"From the positive perspective, the electricity shortage is an opportunity to publicize energy saving to the whole society," said Ye Rongsi, Vice-President of China Electricity Council.

And it may become a chance for the government to reinforce management of demand for electricity, which is believed an effective way to improve electricity conservation.

Most of the areas, for instance, have raised the electricity tariff at peak consumption time while lowering the price for night consumption. They have also rescheduled the worktime of factories to balance daily consumption.

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