China scrambles to meet energy demand

The country is turning to gas to plug the gap in its energy supplies, but it will have to pay a hefty price

China’s worst energy supply crunch in a decade is having a significant impact on the world’s second-largest economy, spooking Beijing and setting off a rush for energy supplies that could leave other countries out in the cold this winter. At least 20 Chinese provinces have wrestled with either sudden blackouts, rolling power outages or official calls to reduce energy use in recent weeks. The supply crunch stretches from the northeastern provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning to the manufacturing powerhouses of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong on China’s eastern and southern seaboards. The severity of the situation has unnerved the country’s top leadership. Premier Li Keqiang vowed that