China Faces Power Shortage Amid Cold Winter, as Regime Bans Australian Coal Imports

Surface operations process rock from the Ashton open cut coal mine near Camberwell in the Hunter Valley, Australia on Aug. 30, 2011. TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP via Getty Images

China is experiencing power shortages in large swathes of southern China, resulting in people’s homes and workplaces not getting enough heat.

The country’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) confirmed the lack of electricity on Dec. 18 early morning.