Winter weather to worsen energy shortages

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said at a recent State Council meeting that heavy snows and rain in southern China will worsen the country’s energy shortage of coal and oil, the Wall Street Journal reported. China’s transport ministry has ordered ports to halt all coal exports temporarily and ordered railways and other transport networks to prioritize food and coal shipments inland, warning of "severe" consequences for companies that fail to comply. Over 25 million people have been affected by the severe weather. Hunan province has been hit hardest, with 167,000 people relocated after 31,000 homes were destroyed by heavy snowfall. Earlier this month, China Southern Power Grid announced it would shut down 10.3 gigawatts of generating capacity across southern China due to a coal shortage, affecting five provinces in its power grid.