One of the nicer aspects of the turn to Spring in the Yangtze River Delta is that I won’t have to be running the electricity bill further up to keep warm. But at least I have electricity. Yunnan, and much of southwest China, has been suffering a drought that is drying its reservoirs. This is unfortunate as the southwest relies on the dams at the reservoirs to generate electricity. Unfortunately, the region may see electricity supply fall by as much as 20% during the first five months of the year.

As the WSJ points out, melting glaciers and drying riverbeds will affect China’s overall attempt to rely more on hydropower than on coal-generated electricity. As water becomes more dear, companies in the southwest and northwest of China can expect higher electricity bills – or grayer skies.

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