Record drought, heat
Global Times reported that from August 16, the Three Gorges Dam - the world's largest hydroelectric project - will accelerate the amount of water released to 500 million cubic meters into the middle and downstream of the Yangtze River in the next 5 days to help reduce the record drought.
Wan Jinjun - a 62-year-old pensioner who has swam across the Yangtze River in Yunnan almost every day for the past decade - said he had never seen such a drought before.
A harsh summer has damaged Asia's longest river flowing through China, about 6,300km, and nurtured farms that provide much of the country's food, as well as water for major hydropower plants, including the Three Gorges Dam.
A year ago, the water level of the Yangtze River rose almost as high as the riverbank where Mr. Wan swam. Currently, water levels are at their lowest level at this time of year since records began in the 1960s, revealing the fishy smell of sand, rocks and leachate.
The water is still low, said Mr. Wan. Last week, he had to go down nearly 100 steps - usually hidden under water - to cool down on a day of 40 degrees Celsius.
Not only the Yangtze River, low rainfall in other parts of China has also caused rivers to drop to low levels, with 66 rivers completely depleted. In some places, local water supply has run out and drinking water must be transported there. On August 19, China issued a national drought warning for the first time in nine years.
People in many parts of China are experiencing two months of severe heat. Hundreds of places recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, and many records were broken. On August 18, the temperature in Chongqing in Sichuan Province reached 45 degrees Celsius - the highest level ever recorded in China outside the Xinjiang region, which is mainly the desert. On August 20, the city's temperature was no below 34.9 degrees Celsius - the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in China in August. The maximum temperature is 43.7 degrees Celsius.
This is the longest and hottest heat wave in China since national records began in the 1960s. According to weather economist Maximiliano Herrera, a temperature monitor around the world, this is the hottest temperature on record anywhere. Nothing in the history of the world climate can compare with the developments in China, New Scientist quoted Herrera as saying.
Risk of power shortage
According to the Japan Times, the depleted water level in the Yangtze River has affected the generation of electricity at many important hydropower plants, causing energy chaos in many regions of the country. Power from the Three Gorges Dam - the world's largest hydroelectric dam - has decreased by about 40% compared to last year, according to Bloomberg.
Major cities including Shanghai are turning off lights, escalators and air conditioners. Tesla has warned of a supply chain disruption for the Shanghai plant. Other companies such as Toyota Motor and Contemporary Amperex Technology - the world's leading battery maker for electric vehicles - have closed factories.
Hydropower output decreased due to low water levels. Tu Xuyen was most seriously affected, because the province depends 80% on hydropower. While hydropower output decreased by 50%, electricity demand increased by 25%. Thousands of factories in the province have had to stop operations due to a lack of electricity in the context of increased demand for air conditioning. Office buildings and shopping malls are also required to reduce lighting and air conditioning to save electricity. Meanwhile, according to CNN, Sichuan is an important center for the production of solar panels and semiconductors.
Hydropower is China's largest clean energy source, accounting for about 18% of the country's electricity output in 2020, according to BloombergNEF. The country also has the world's largest solar and wind power system, and is increasing investment in renewable energy as it tries to reduce its dependence on imported fuel. Chinese companies invested $98 billion in clean energy in the first half of 2022, more than double the same period in 2021.
