China’s Power Crunches To Worsen Without More Nuclear And Hydro

  • Pumped-hydro is one of the oldest forms of storing energy
  • Population centers including Beijing face power shortages

Workers at the installation site of reactor pressure vessel at the China National Nuclear Corporation's Fuqing nuclear power plant in Fujian Province.

Photographer: Lin Shanchuan/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

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China needs to accelerate its build-out of energy sources such as nuclear and pumped-hydro to stave off worsening power crunches in its industrial centers, according to a government-backed think tank.

Some of the big cities that have recently suffered power outages when summer demand for air-conditioning peaks are likely to see widening shortfalls in energy supply, according to the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute, in a report covering China’s energy needs through 2025.