July 18 2008

China: Shanghai steps up power rationing on weather

China's financial hub of Shanghai stepped up power rationing on Thursday, ordering some industrial users to cut power use at peak hours as demand surged to a record high due to sizzling temperatures, media reported.

With temperatures rising to more than 35 degrees Celsius, the electricity load soared to 21.32 GW on Thursday afternoon, topping the record high of 20.20 GW set on August 1, 2007, the Shanghai Morning Post reported.

China: China June power output up 8 pct, slowest in years

China's electricity output grew 8.3 percent in June from a year earlier, official data showed on Friday, the lowest normalised rate in over 6 years as it grapples with a deepening supply crisis caused by a shortage of coal.

Excluding growth rates in January and February, which are usually skewed by the long Chinese New Year holiday that varies between the two months, the June output growth is the slowest since early 2002, according to data from Reuters EcoWin.

China: As Turbines Spin, China's Grid Groans Infrastructure Fails to Keep Pace As Wind Power is Growing

China is well on its way to generating more than three times its stated target and nearly 3 percent of its power from wind by 2020 - but only if the country's creaky distribution grid can keep pace with the expansion.

Amid an investment boom fueled by rising coal prices and Beijing's drive for greener economic growth, China could have 100 gigawatts of wind power capacity by 2020, ten times its current capacity, experts and industry officials say.

Ecuador: La Refinería dejó de producir gas

The FCC plant of the Esmeraldas refinery, which supplies daily 450 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and 2 600 000 gallons of gasoline to the country, is paralyzed.

According to Guillermo Estupiñán, superintendent of the refinery, the system began to fail last Wednesday afternoon, so the decision was taken to a standstill. "The machinery will not be operational for eight to 10 days, while repairs are made."

Fiji: Islanders without kerosene

VILLAGERS of Dravuwalu on Totoya in Lau have been without kerosene for the past three months as a result of irregular shipping services.

Sikiti Cakacaka told The Fiji Times from Totoya it has been hard to cope without fuel, food or medical supplies.

Mrs Cakacaka most families have to resort to using candles at night.

India: Tamil Nadu to schedule power cuts from Monday

Come Monday, scheduled power cuts will replace unscheduled cuts across Tamil Nadu, Arcot N. Veerasamy, the state’s electricity minister said here Friday.

The state government in consultation with the state’s industrialists has also decided to revive the staggered holiday scheme for industrial units, he said.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with industrialists here Friday, the minister said: “The state has a shortfall of around 1,000 MW per day. The generation from hydel power stations and windmills has gone down. Similarly the share of power from the central pool too has come down by 40 percent.”

India: Diesel 'rationing' in Hyderabad

Diesel shortage continues to haunt the state capital, which is already reeling under acute power crisis. Serpentine queues outside petrol bunks were seen in various areas of the city. In fact, many bunk owners are resorting to rationing. “I went to a petrol bunk on Wednesday night in Trimulgherry and was flatly told by the attendant that I could get only Rs 1,000 worth diesel,” said Ravi Kumar, a senior manager with an IT MNC, who normally buys a tank full. Some bunks were not giving more than 20 litres per customer. “I had to wait for around two hours at a petrol station in Jubilee Hills,” rued Raj Kumar Goud, a businessman. 'No stock' signboards also welcomed motorists at various petrol bunks.

India: Rationing of petrol, diesel is on: Pump owners

Fuel rationing is very much on in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The shortage of fuel is so acute that oil-marketing companies are resorting to rationing of fuel, say petrol pump dealers across the city. For the past two months companies are supplying fuel to petrol pumps as per a quota decided by the company and not as per the requirement of the petrol pumps, they say. A trip across the city shows many pumps empty, reinforcing what the dealers say that the city is facing fuel rationing.

India: City pumps run ‘short’ of diesel

As a result of incessant powercuts, more than 50 per cent of petrol pumps in the city ran out of diesel stock. Panic gripped the city as people were rushing from once petrol pump to another to buy the fuel for the next day.

SP Prasad, Chief Divisional Manager, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), denied the shortage of diesel at the company-owned pumps and said,” The pumps of Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPC) have less stock. Because of this, the clients are rushing to our pumps and hence the demand has exceeded the supply. Our company will be matching with the demand of the pumps and hence will not let any IOC pump go dry.”

India: Industrial bigwigs fret over dearth of electricity

About 80 industrial units in Raiganj, North Dinajpur, are suffering untold misery, due to sheer lack of electricity. The victims, mainly entrepreneurs, claimed that they have paid hefty amounts to the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, three years back, but are still bereft of power.
The officials of Raiganj-based Power department blamed the delay on the central purchase section of the department.

Nigeria: Nigeria locals blow up Eni oil pipeline, output shut

Local residents blew up a Nigerian oil pipeline operated by Italy's Eni in the restive Niger Delta, cutting output further in the world's eighth largest oil exporter, a state governor said on Thursday.

It was the second attack in as many days by community members in the delta, the heart of Nigeria's oil production.

Pakistan: City experiences power blackouts every alternate hour

Unscheduled load shedding continues to increase in the city, as several localities have reported that their electricity supply is being cut off every alternate hour in addition to the normally scheduled power outages since Wednesday night.

Despite extended unscheduled load shedding, Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) officials kept on saying that load shedding was being done in line with the schedule, and that no extra burden was being put on consumers.

Paraguay: Gasolineros urgen acciones a Lugo por la crisis del gasoil

Executives of the major fuel distributor companies and leaders of the Association of Owners of service stations and Allied Workers (APES) yesterday urged the president-elect Fernando Lugo, to now become involved in the diesel crisis, since there is no clarity on supply of strategic product, which is vital for the country's economic activities.

UAE: Special petrol shortage in some pumps in UAE

Petrol stations of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) across all Northern Emirates have been left without the Special (95 octane) category of petrol and are having to turn away motorists.

Employees at petrol stations in Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah say the Special variety ran out days ago, insisting that they have not been informed when they could expect further supplies.

Vietnam: Nation hit by blackouts

Thursday morning, the noise of dozens of machines rent the air throughout Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 as various shops and restaurants fired up their electric generators.

Not all the businesses in the city center could afford generators.

Most families said the summer heat was hard to bear during blackouts.

The power outage hit parts of districts 3 and Binh Thanh Thursday, knocking out traffic lights and causing critical traffic jams.