Chengdu (China) Chengdu (China), August 18.: Metro stations in Sichuan province’s capital city Chengdu have turned off their lights in order to conserve electricity, leaving some travelers in complete darkness as China is struggling with power shortages in the midst of an unprecedented heatwave, media reported. The railway system of the southwestern city of Chengdu which is which is home to around 21 million inhabitants, began operating in “power-saving” mode on Wednesday, triggering low-power lights and controlling temperatures in train compartments and stations the operator of the system announced in an announcement, but without stating how long the measures will remain in place, CNN reported.
Photos circulated on social networks showed commuters waiting to catch trains at night on dimly lit platforms, and moving through dark stationsstark contrast to the bright fluorescent lights and bright advertisements that are typical of China’s stations for public transport, CNN reported.
The energy-saving measures are just one of many that are being implemented in the wake of a power shortage caused by China’s most intense regional heatwave in the past six decades.
Temperatures that are above 40 degrees Celsius have afflicted many of cities across the regions of central, southwest and eastern China and the rising demand for air cooling is putting pressure on the grid power, CNN reported.
The power crisis is aggravated by the drought, as the depleted levels of water in the Yangtze River, one of China’s most important commercial waterways and the water bodies that are connected have slowed the amount of power generated by hydropower plants.
Provincial officials from the top warned Sichuan faces the “most severe and extreme situation” in power supply, Sichuan Daily reported.
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