- China is facing its worst heatwave and drought in over half a century, and it has hit the country's hydroelectric power.
- The vital Yangtze River has seen some parts dry up, impacting water supply for electricity generation.
- In the first half of August, China's coal-burning was 15% higher than the same time last year.
China's most dire heatwave and drought in over half a century has dried up parts of the Yangtze River, forcing the country to burn more coal as hydroelectricity capacity declines.
In the first two weeks of August, China burned 8.16 million tonnes of thermal coal per day, a 15% increase from a year ago, data from the National Development and Reform Commission compiled by CNN shows. On August 3, thermal coal-use hit a one-day record of 8.5 million tonnes.
Also this month, Sichuan Guang'an Power Generation, one of the largest coal-fired power plants in China, increased its electricity generation by 170% compared to year-ago rates.
Meanwhile, China has increasingly turned to Russia for energy imports like coal, natural gas, and oil. In July, Chinese buyers paid Russia a combined $7.2 billion for those supplies, customs data cited by Bloomberg show. That's a 53% jump compared to the same month last year.
Chinese imports of Russian coal alone have surged 14% year-over-year to hit 7.4 million tons in July.
Hydroelectric power is the nation's second-largest source of energy, and the dwindling water levels of the key river have impacted tens of thousands of citizens across six provinces. Industrial factories have had to close down in an effort to preserve energy supplies, according to the report.
The water-rich area of Sichuan is responsible for 21% of China's hydroelectricity production, though so far in August its output has dropped by 50%, per CNN.
All the while, the heatwave is forcing people to ramp up demand for electricity, exacerbating the stress on the nation's power grid.
