China: China power crisis brews
China is facing its worst summer power crisis since a 40 gigawatt shortfall in 2004 that caused widespread brownouts and blackouts, cut metals production and caused a one-off surge in oil demand.
Coal shortages at electricity generators, low levels at hyropower dams, hot weather and costly fuel imports are all contributing to the problem, which looks set to be far worse than the government anticipated.
China: Chinese Zinc Producers Set to Discuss Output Cuts
Zinc smelters in China, the world's largest producer of the metal, will meet to consider production cuts as prices decline, a company executive said, and as power shortages force the metals industry to consume less energy.
China: China's Aluminum Production Cut to Last Three Months
China's aluminum smelters, the largest in the world, will reduce production at least through September because of a power shortage and to ensure supplies for the Beijing Olympics, the China Nonferrous Metal Industry Association said.
India: Crude shock: Fuel rationing may have to be formalised
Rationing of petrol and diesel, already a de facto reality in many of the city’s petrol pumps, may well become a way of life if the authorities get emboldened to come clean on the prevailing fuel situation, which has been plaguing the city for a month now. Pune Petrol Dealers’ Association president Babasaheb Dhumal said that such a situation may come to pass soon as there is already a 25 per cent shortfall of petrol supplies while diesel supplies are down 50 per cent. “We have been told that oil companies have cut down on purchases with the rising crude oil prices and rationing of fuel is, therefore, bound to come into effect,” he explained.
India: India headed towards diesel shortage
When diesel ran out of supply from fuel stations in Chennai and Bangalore recently, it was the first indication that the country is headed for a shortage of the most popular fuel in the country.
The demand for diesel is rising at 25 per cent annually, while the crude oil refiners are capable of catering to only 12-15 per cent growth.
Indonesia: Indonesia to make factories work weekends to save power
Indonesia will force some manufacturers to shift production to weekends in order to reduce peak demand during the week and stave off an electricity crisis, senior government officials said on Friday,.
Southeast Asia's largest economy suffers from power shortages as demand has steadily risen while there was little new investment in power-related infrastructure.
Indonesia: Central Java orders power conservation measures
Central Java Governor Ali Mufiz on Thursday ordered power-saving measures at all government institutions in the province in response to frequent blackouts.
The governor also asked residents to conserve power, including through the use of energy saving lamps.
Indonesia: Power rationing until 2009
The electricity sector today faces at least one certainty. Acute power shortages that require power rationing through rotating electricity blackouts or changes in industrial operating shifts will continue until late 2009.
Businesses are now calculating the losses they will suffer during the rotating blackouts. But most industrial companies seemed resigned to the tragic fact that the Indonesian government is virtually powerless to cope with the power supply crisis until some of the new power plants currently under construction, with combined capacity of 10,000 megawatts (MW), come on line in early 2010.
Indonesia: Power cuts to hit Jakarta and environs as of today
Power cuts to be imposed by the state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) will hit Greater Jakarta and Tangerang in Banten province as of Friday (July 11).
The two cities have scheduled rotating blackouts to overcome an acute shortage of power supply caused by a number of big power plants in the Java-Bali system undergoing maintenance and repair, the head of the Tangerang area, Azwar Lubis, said on Thursday.
Lebanon: Ibrahim Kanaan s'en prend à la pénurie d'électricité
During an interview given to an information site, the member of the parliamentary bloc of Reform Change Ibrahim Kanaan has demanded the resignation of the Director General of EDL because of delays in the delivery of raw materials needed to electricity production.
Niger: Thousands protest in Niger against power, food woes
Around 30,000 people marched through Niger's capital Niamey on Thursday to protest against the high cost of living and electricity blackouts caused by disruptions in power supplies from neighbouring Nigeria.
It was one of the biggest public protests seen in recent years in the landlocked Sahel state, which is a leading world exporter of uranium but, like many African nations, has suffered the squeeze of sharp increases in oil and food prices.
Nigeria: Power crisis Time for action
On Thursday, The Punch reported a plea by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria that consumers should no longer vent their frustrations on its staff; that we should stop complaining with our fists. While this appeal was being made, youths elsewhere stormed their local PHCN office and insisted that electricity workers should join them in their “celebration of seven years of total blackout” in their town. These two related incidents are among the offshoots of the serious power crisis that this country is battling with.
Pakistan: FBR lost Rs 23 billion from energy crisis : spokesman
The ongoing energy crises badly affected the manufacturing sector of the economy, which deprived the Federal Board of Revenue worth about Rs13 billion in the outgoing fiscal year.
Paraguay: Empresario advierte que se viene el desabastecimiento de gasoil
This morning during a radio interview, Ausberto Ortelle, employer of fuel sector, warned that between yesterday and today the shortfall in the supply of diesel by Petropar to distributors and gas stations is no less than five million litres.
Senegal: Life in Dakar: no water, no electricity , no gas, no rice
"There is a shortage of everything in Dakar," complains Pascal Pareira, in line to get cooking gas in a working class neighbourhood in the Senegalese capital Dakar, which has been plagued by shortages in basic necessities these last weeks.
"For the last week, I haven't had water and I haven't had gas. I went a month without finding rice," the brewery worker from the Grand-Yoff neighbourhood sighed.
Uganda: MPs want UMEME to account for $19m
THE natural resources parliamentary committee wants UMEME to account for $19.4m it received from the Government.
During a meeting yesterday, MPs were concerned about the continued load-shedding, power loss and UMEME's billing system.
Uganda: When will Museveni stop his blame game?
Owaakukira akukiza ebishuba (he who is greater than you tells bigger lies than you). President Museveni has been going around the country blaming MPs of the Sixth Parliament for the shortage of electricity in Uganda.
