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Viewing cable 08SHANGHAI74, ZHEJIANG POWER NEEDS MET BY BLACKOUTS IN SHANGHAI

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08SHANGHAI74 2008-02-21 12:30 2011-08-23 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Consulate Shanghai
VZCZCXRO3631
RR RUEHCN RUEHVC
DE RUEHGH #0074 0521230
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211230Z FEB 08
FM AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6707
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 7244
UNCLAS SHANGHAI 000074 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, EEB, OES, AND INR 
USDOC FOR 4420 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC DAS KASOFF, MELCHER AND MCQUEEN 
TREASURY FOR OASIA/DOHNER, WRIGHT, MEDIEROS, CUSHMAN 
STATE PASS USTR STRATFORD 
STATE PASS USNRC FOR CHAIRMAN KLEIN 
USDOE FOR MIZROCH/CHIANG/GINSBERG 
USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL/PUMPHREY AND GEBERT 
STATE PASS NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION CHAN/KAFAFI/HUBER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG ECON PGOV CH
SUBJECT: ZHEJIANG POWER NEEDS MET BY BLACKOUTS IN SHANGHAI 
 
REF: A. BEIJING 303 
 
     B. SHANGHAI 51 
 
(U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified and for official 
use only.  Not for distribution outside of USG channels or via 
the internet. 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: Zhejiang Province's electrical grid and power 
supply system that was severely damaged during the recent winter 
storms (Refs A and B) have been largely repaired, but generation 
and transmission capacity is not yet fully restored.  The 
Shanghai Electric Power Company (SEPC) has sent more than 700 
employees to assist in the repairs of neighboring Zhejiang's 
electrical network and is conducting rolling black-outs of 
industrial users in Shanghai in order to supply Zhejiang with 
electricity, according to an SEPC official on February 20.  End 
summary. 
 
2. (U) According to media reports, Zhejiang's power grid had the 
largest number of downed 500 kilovolt transmission lines in 
China leading to power outages covering more than 70 percent of 
the province.  More than 23 million people were without 
electricity.  Power outages and damage to power lines 
contributed to the more than USD 230 million in economic losses 
sustained by Zhejiang Province. 
 
3. (U) By February 20, more than 96 percent of the power users 
affected by blackouts in Zhejiang Province were back online. 
Areas that were still without power are mainly located in 
villages in remote geographical areas.  State Grid Vice General 
Manager Chen Jingxing was quoted in local media as promising 
that Zhejiang's grid will be fully-repaired by March 20. 
Generation and transmission capacity in Zhejiang is expected to 
be about 1,650 megawatts by February 21, almost 600 megawatts 
short of a projected demand of 2,300 megawatts as factories 
shuttered for Chinese New Year come back online.  This energy 
shortfall will be met by blackouts of industrial users in order 
to insure adequate residential supplies in urban areas, 
according to media reports. 
 
4. (SBU) According to the SEPC Foreign Affairs Office Director 
Zhao Yu, Shanghai has also instituted rolling black outs of 
electricity to heavy industrial power users in the chemical and 
metal industries in an attempt to free up between 300-500 
megawatts of electricity that will then be re-routed to Zhejiang 
and other areas affected by the storms.  The rolling blackouts 
were instituted on top of the January 28 requirement that 18 
major industrial electricity consumers reschedule production to 
non-peak hours. 
 
5. (SBU) Media reports, quoting the Shanghai Economic 
Commission, indicate that Shanghai has its own generating 
capacity of 11.3 million kilowatts, and it imports a further 
four million kilowatts to meet demand.  (Note: This figure is 
for normal production, as indicated in Ref A, Shanghai has the 
capability to generate a peak of approximately 1,400 megawatts. 
End note.)  At the height of the winter storm and concomitant 
unusually cold weather, peak grid load in Shanghai hit 1,802 
megawatts on January 17, before rationing measures were 
enforced.  With the rolling blackouts and other reductions in 
consumption, Shanghai's grid load is expected to be average 
1,560 megawatts in February. 
 
JARRETT