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WORLD NEWS Diamars 30 augustus 2022

China's drought-hit areas get rain, bringing flood risks

BEIJING (AP) — More "has been fully restored,"
than 100,000 people had CCTV said on its website.
moved to safer areas by Household demand for air
Monday as heavy rains conditioning declined as
brought flood risks to a temperatures moderated and
region of southwest China the rainfall was starting to
that was devastated by a replenish hydroelectric res-
heatwave and drought for ervoirs.
most of the summer.
Hydropower generation in
Heavy rain was forecast for the province was up 9.5%
parts of Sichuan province from its low point, the state
and Chongqing city through broadcaster reported. Daily
at least Tuesday. Chongqing, power use by households de-
a megacity built in a hilly area clined by 28% from a peak
and that also oversees the of 473 million to 340 mil-
surrounding mountains and lion kilowatt hours, the re-
countryside, issued a flash port said, citing Zhao Hong,
flood warning for both days. marketing director for State
Grid's Sichuan subsidiary.
But China's meteorological
agency maintained a national "The contradiction between
orange alert for drought, the power supply and demand in
second highest level, as the Sichuan will be basically re-
heat persisted in many parts effect in Sichuan, Chongq- sasters when it rains, the of- the heat, and full power was solved in the next three days,"
of the country's south, the ing and neighboring Gansu ficial Xinhua News Agency restored to factories in Si- Zhao was quoted as saying.
official Xinhua News Agency and Shaanxi provinces to the said. chuan after two weeks of
said. It recommended strict north. The hard, sunbaked restrictions stemming from The falling hydropower pro-
water conservation and using soil left by the heatwave in- The shift in the weather reduced hydropower output. duction prompted Sichuan
emergency water sources to creases the risk of natural di- brought some relief from utilities to step up the use of
supply people and livestock. The rain should help farm- coal-fired power plants, tem-
ers whose rice, spicy Sichuan porarily setting back efforts
The Sichuan emergency peppers and other crops were to reduce carbon and other
management administration withering during an extended emissions.
said Monday that 119,000 drought that reduced com-
people have been evacuated. munity reservoirs to mostly The share of power in Sich-
One village under the juris- cracked earth. uan that comes from coal has
diction of Guangyuan city re- jumped to 25% from 10%
corded 18.8 centimeters (7.4 Temperatures topped 40 de- with 67 generating stations
inches) of rain, state broad- grees Celsius (104 Fahren- running at full capacity, ac-
caster CCTV said. The city heit) in what meteorologists cording to Caixin, a Chinese
was one of two in Sichuan called the strongest heat wave business news magazine.
most affected by the drought. in China since record-keep-
ing began in 1961. Sichuan usually is seen as
A national level IV emergency a clean power success story
response for floods, the low- Power in Sichuan for com- in China, getting 80% of its
est in a four-tier system, is in mercial and industrial use electricity from hydropower.

Danes, Germans back Baltic wind hub to offset Russian gas

COPENHAGEN, Den- of 1.5 gigawatts and 1 giga- that wind from the Baltic
mark (AP) — Denmark watt. Sea can produce "more than
will increase its planned twice the installed capacity of
offshore wind capacity in German Economy and Cli- all German coal-fired pow-
the Baltic Sea to 3 giga- mate Minister Robert Ha- er stations." The countries
watts and hook it up to beck called it "a flagship around the Baltic Sea "need
the German grid, a step project" and added that "with to set the sails, work together
toward weaning Europe such projects among Europe- and set course towards mak-
off its reliance on Russian an partners, we achieve two ing our region more sustain-
gas. When established in key goals at the same time: able, more resilient and more
2030, it should be able to European energy security secure," Annalena Baerbock
supply electricity to up 4.5 and climate neutrality." The said.
million European homes. deal was announced Monday
in Copenhagen. German Chancellor Olaf
A 470-kilometer (292-mile) Scholz has said Germany re- Russian gas within the next Those expected to attend
undersea cable will run via Denmark's energy minister, mains committed to ending two years. include the president of the
the Danish Baltic Sea island Dan Jørgensen, added that its greenhouse gas emissions European Union's execu-
of Bornholm to northern "international cooperation is by 2045, the earliest of any Monday's announcement tive commission, Lithuania's
Germany, enabling the power more urgent than ever be- major industrialized nation. comes a day before a meet- president, the prime minis-
to be sent directly to the Ger- fore" to further reduce green- To meet the goal, his gov- ing in Copenhagen to discuss ters of Poland, Latvia, Esto-
man electricity grid and on to house gas emissions and to ernment has said it will close ways "to make the Baltic Sea nia, Finland and Denmark,
the rest of Europe. make Europe independent coal-fired power plants that region free of Russian energy and several energy ministers.
from Russian gas and oil." were reactivated due to the and at the same time pave the ___ This story has been cor-
At present, Denmark and war in Ukraine, end imports way for a significant green rected to show that the Ger-
Germany have respective off- On Friday, Germany's foreign of Russian oil and coal this transition," according to the man minister was not visiting
shore wind energy capacities minister said estimates show year and aim to stop using Danish government. Copenhagen.