China's electricity demands soar as temperatures forecast to hit 50C
Feels-like temperatures in some regions were forecast to hit 50C, affecting over 200 million people across provinces including Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Guangdong.
This marks the third time this month that China's national electrical load has set a new record, exceeding last year's maximum by 55 million kilowatts.
While the power grid is currently coping with the surge, experts warn of potential energy rationing if the extreme heat persists.
The heatwave is impacting agriculture, factory operations, and healthcare, though it has boosted consumer spending on items like air conditioners and fans, with solar energy supporting the power surge.
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Reuters
20 minutes ago
- Reuters
China starts construction on world's largest hydropower dam in Tibet
HONG KONG, July 21 (Reuters) - China's Premier Li Qiang announced the start of construction on what will be the world's largest hydropower dam, located on the eastern rim of the Tibetan plateau and estimated to cost around $170 billion, the official Xinhua news agency said. The project is part of China's push to expand renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions. Consisting of five cascade hydropower stations, the dam will be located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River and could affect millions downstream in India and Bangladesh. Li described the hydropower project as a "project of the century" and said special emphasis "must be placed on ecological conservation to prevent environmental damage", Xinhua said in its report on Saturday. Authorities have not indicated how many people the Tibet project would displace and how it would affect the local ecosystem, one of the richest and most diverse on the plateau. But according to Chinese officials, hydropower projects in Tibet will not have a major impact on the environment or on downstream water supplies. India and Bangladesh have nevertheless raised concerns about the dam. NGOs including the International Campaign for Tibet say the dam will irreversibly harm the Tibetan plateau and that millions of people downstream will face severe livelihood disruptions. The dam is estimated to have a capacity of 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and is expected to help meet local energy demand in Tibet and the rest of China. The project will play a major role in meeting China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, stimulate related industries such as engineering, and create jobs in Tibet, Xinhua said in December when the project was first announced. A section of the Yarlung Zangbo falls a dramatic 2,000 metres (6,561 feet) within a short span of 50 km (31 miles), offering huge hydropower potential. The Yarlung Zangbo becomes the Brahmaputra river as it leaves Tibet and flows south into India's Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states and finally into Bangladesh. China has already started hydropower generation on the upper reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo, which flows from the west to the east of Tibet.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Legoland Shanghai: China bets on Western theme parks to lift spending
Tourists flocked to China's first Legoland theme park as it opened in Shanghai earlier this month, marking another step in the country's efforts to establish itself as a global travel is the latest amusement park to be launched in China by a Western brand. Warner Brothers' Harry Potter and Hasbro's Peppa Pig are set to consumer spending remains sluggish, Beijing hopes large attractions like this will attract visitors from both China and abroad to help revive the world's second largest park developers are being drawn by local government investment but face challenges in a highly competitive market dominated by big names like Disney and Universal Studios. The $550m (£410m) Legoland Shanghai is the largest park run by the UK-based theme park operator, Merlin park is home to 75 rides across eight areas and structures built from millions of plastic bricks, including a miniature version of Shanghai's of visitors can be accommodated at its hotel, which has rooms themed around things like pirates and park opened after years of collaboration between Merlin, Lego's parent company and the local government. They are hoping it will attract the famously frugal domestic population as well as foreign a ceremony to mark Legoland Shanghai's launch, a local authority official called it a much-needed boost to the district's economy as it will create jobs and support backers have also supported other projects, with a government-controlled building firm owning more than half of Disneyland and other branded parks will be keen to capitalise on huge fanbases of children and young people, especially in a market as large as China, said Xiaofeng Zeng, vice president of consumer market research firm Niko China's lacklustre domestic spending, its 1.4 billion people present a huge potential studies have shown that Chinese parents are splurging more on their children, even as overall consumer spending dips, Mr Zeng added. Spending in China may currently be slow, but the country's focus on boosting local consumption make it attractive to park was among the key focuses of China's latest five-year economic blueprint, which promised more resorts and theme encourage investment Chinese authorities are offering tax breaks and other help to finance new attractions, said Nandini Roy, a senior research analyst from Future Market example, the state has backed the Legoland park with new public transport links and major also rolled out 570m yuan (£59m; $80m) of subsidies through vouchers and offers as part of a nationwide campaign to spur tourism within the country."These measures lower out-of-pocket costs for families and indirectly benefit parks through higher footfall," said Ms parks help bring in investors and tourists as well as create jobs, said economist Gu Qingyang from the National University of brands like Lego will also help China to project a more open and international image, he said. But theme parks like Legoland also face challenges to stand out among the roughly 400 such attractions in Artem Kapnin, who visited Legoland Shanghai during a preview in June, said it had clearly made efforts to cater to Chinese audiences but lacked the atmosphere of Disneyland."I personally love Disneyland more because of the general atmosphere in the park, the characters, and I really enjoy the firework displays," said Mr Kapnin, a student based consumer spending in China remains sluggish, Prof Gu says investors are eyeing this vast nation's economic prospects many years into the future."It's important to note that building a large-scale theme park often takes close to a decade - so a long-term perspective is essential."
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Bernard Arnault hopes for luxury turnaround
Bernard Arnault is hoping for a turnaround when his luxury empire updates investors. The wealth of the Frenchman (pictured with Ivanka Trump), whose empire includes Louis Vuitton and Dior, has fallen by more than £15billion this year. But he is still one of the world's richest men - worth £116billion despite a 26 per cent slide in LVMH shares. On Thursday LVMH, whose sales fell earlier this year, announces its second-quarter figures. Arnault, who attended Donald Trump's inauguration, hoped rich Americans splashing out would offset a slowdown in China. But demand has been hit by trade war tension between the US and China. Its alcohol brands, such as Moet champagne, have also been hit hard by tariffs and waning demand.
