Hydropower in China's Sichuan province threatened by drought

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- China's Sichaun Province has seen its hydropower generation threatened by ongoing drought conditions, the provincial branch of the State Grid Corp. of China said Wednesday.

The province, located in the southwest part of the country, has received 51% less precipitation than normal this summer along with long periods of excessive heat.

This has resulted in a major decrease in hydropower generation capacity, as water levels from rivers in Sichuan are 20% to 50% less than normal, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

"Some main reservoirs in Sichuan have dried up. The power generation capacity declines, while the gap between supply and demand increases," Zhou Jian, an engineer with the Sichuan branch of the State Grid, told the South China Morning Post.

To handle the crisis, the province has 25,000 power emergency repair personnel on call 24 hours a day. The province has also more than tripled its coal storage from the same period as last year.