Heavy snowfall snarls northern China, forces power cuts

Heavy snowfall in northern China’s continues to create traffic issues and strand travelers as high demand for electricity has forced power cuts in some provinces, state media reported. Trains, planes, and automobiles in Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Shandong all fell prey to the heaviest snowfall in almost 60 years. Severe disruptions at Beijing Capital National Airport created mass flight delays and cancellations, and 2,000 police, railway workers, and farmers assisted in the rescue of 1,400 passengers trapped in a stuck train in Inner Mongolia. Coal shortages have also forced some provinces to cut electricity in the face of overwhelming power demand, even as temperatures may fall to as low as -32 degrees Celsius in the far north in the remaining winter months. Rather than allowing power shortages to manifest themselves as brownouts, China’s grid prefers to cut power to service areas, which helps to maintain power stability.