Heavy snow stretches power supply

Back-to-back cold fronts have been draining the power supply in many parts of the country. Local authorities are responding by capping industrial use and getting more coal to power plants.

At the largest power plant in Chongqing, trains are unloading 40 carriages of coal nearly 2-thousand-500 tons. It's the third batch of the day. But it's still not enough. The daily operation of the power plant requires 230-thousand tons of coal. Inventory is dwindling fast.

Some power generators are failing due to long hours of being overloaded. To ensure the civilian power supply, Chongqing is limiting industrial use from 4 to 3 days a week.

At the State Grid Control Center in Shijiazhuang, engineers have initiated an emergency plan to ensure an uninterrupted supply of power.

In Jiangxi province, icicles are forming on the power lines. Engineers are using remote cameras to monitor the situation. If there is too much accumulation, direct current will be used to heat up the wires and melt the ice.

Heat suppliers in Changchun are running back-up boilers to make sure residents' radiators remain hot. But that, too, needs more coal, an end that local authorities are struggling to meet.

Back-to-back cold fronts have been draining the power supply in many parts of the country.