Guangdong Province, an economic powerhouse in south China, will be short of four to five million kilowatts of electric power in the first half of next year, a local official said.

The electricity pitfall will be about 5 billion kilowatts in the first half of next year, Yang Jianchu, vice-chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Trade and Economic Committee said. The acute power shortage is ascribed to the reduction of generated electricity resulting from rocketing oil price hikes and local dry season.

The electric power shortage is expected to ease in the second half of 2006 with a group of thermal power plants going into operation, Yang said.

Guangdong experienced the most grave power shortage in a decade this year. The province recorded a shortfall of 6.62 million kilowatts of electricity in May and, in October, it was still short of 4.5 million kilowatts. Power shortage for the whole year will account for some nine percent of Guangdong's total annual power consumption, according to an official forecast.

Source: Xinhua