Two workers check the transmission line at a wind power plant in Laian county, Anhui province. China faces a severe power shortage. About 20 provinces and regions have already started rationing electricity. [Photo / China Daily]

Homes spared so far

It remains unclear whether residents' demand for electricity will be suppressed during the summer, though residents' power use has largely not yet been affected.

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"Although government circulars have required power suppliers to secure power supply to residential users, it is possible that in some areas, especially North, Central and East China, residents will have to face power rationing during the peak season and they will have to turn off high-energy-consuming appliances like air conditioners for some hours during a day," a power supply specialist with the State Grid said on condition of anonymity.

People living in areas hardest hit by the power crunch have started preparing for rationing this summer.

"I bought a large fridge, with which I can make some ice blocks at home when it is powered on. These ice blocks can be used as a replacement for the air conditioner when our community is cut off from power," said Xu Qiang, 37, a resident of Hunan, where the daytime summer temperature could surge over 38 C.

The gap between supply and demand can become even wider, as power sources under construction are not enough to meet the increasing demand expected in the next two or three years, authorities warned. Thermal power plants running on coal will be discouraged by rising production costs and will be particularly insufficient, causing a drop of power production in the next few years.