Big Chill: Natural Gas Shortage to Lower Indoor Temperatures in Beijing
Delays to imports of natural gas may see public places in Beijing such as office buildings and shopping malls drop their internal temperatures to 14 degrees Celsius or lower, Bloomberg reported Monday.
China energy company PetroChina announced on its website December 26 that, "Since late November, Beijing and other parts of northern China were hit with the lowest temperatures in 64 years, and natural gas consumption has increased dramatically. Recently, due to fog and strong winds, [we have] temporarily been unable to unload imported liquefied natural gas carriers for peaking in Hong Kong, resulting in a particularly tight supply of natural gas in northern China, including Beijing."
"Public buildings should keep the indoor temperature no higher than 14 degrees Celsius, the Beijing Municipal Public Utility Emergency Office said in a statement December 25," Bloomberg reported.
November's vile weather and continued low temperatures throughout December have also strained supply, leading public venues to reduce indoor temperatures in order to conserve natural gas for critical use, including home cooking.
No timeline was given for when natural gas shipments to Beijing would return to normal. Bundle up!
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Photo: Huffington Post
