Flex-hours requested

The Shanghai government said it will ask 700 high-energy-consuming companies to reschedule work shifts from evenings to midnight to 8 am to avoid overtaxing the city's power grid. The move follows an earlier request sent to 500 firms to reschedule activities. Most firms, though described as small scale, are engaged in power-intensive metal processing and cement making. Shanghai faces a projected electricity shortfall of up to 2.6 million kilowatts.