Shanghai’s skyline goes dark as Sichuan power woes spill over

A woman sells balloons on a bridge near the Bund amid a heatwave warning, as Shanghai switches off lights along a popular waterfront to conserve energy in Shanghai, China, on Aug 22, 2022. - Reuters

SHANGHAI (Bloomberg): Shanghai’s iconic skyscrapers dimmed their exteriors Monday (Aug 22) as part of a two-day suspension, as the financial hub feels the spillover effects of an acute power shortage wreaking economic havoc thousands of kilometres away.

City authorities announced Sunday that in order to manage electricity use, landscape lighting and advertising billboards would be shut down in areas along the Huangpu riverside including The Bund waterfront, as well as central Lujiazui -- home to landmarks including the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower.

Sichuan province’s worst drought in more than a half century and a heat wave driving up air-conditioning demand are sapping hydropower generation and drying up reservoirs along the Yangtze River.

Shanghai receives some of its power via long-distance transmission lines from several Yangtze dams, including Xiangjiaba on the border of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, and Three Gorges, the world’s largest power plant.