Reuters: China, India lead Asia's biggest hydropower crunch in decades

[OKIsItJustMe]

China, India lead Asia's biggest hydropower crunch in decades

By Sudarshan Varadhan and Ashley Fang
September 21, 20237:33 PM EDT

SINGAPORE, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Hydropower generation in Asia has plunged at the fastest rate in decades amid sharp declines in China and India, data shows, forcing power regulators battling volatile electricity demand and erratic weather to rely more on fossil fuels.

The two countries, which account for about 3/4 of Asia's power generation and most of its emissions, are also to a lesser extent using renewables to make up for the hydropower shortfall and address rising electricity use.

Major Asian economies have faced power shortages in recent years due to extreme weather conditions, including intense heat and lower rainfall over large swathes of northern China and Vietnam, as well as in India's east and the north.

Higher use of polluting fuels such as coal to meet electricity demand spikes and supply shortages underscore the challenges of lowering emissions. Asia's hydropower output fell 17.9% during the seven months through July, data from energy think tank Ember showed, while fossil fuel-fired power rose 4.5%.

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[Think. Again.]

1. That's odd...

...the article claims decreased hydropower is

"forcing power regulators battling volatile electricity demand and erratic weather to rely more on fossil fuels."

Why wouldn't the decrease in hydropower be forcing them to build out more of any of the other non-CO2 emitting energy sources instead of going backward to more fossil fuel use?

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. There's a power crunch today, and they have the fossil fuel plants available today

The renewable plants are still being built.

[Think. Again.]

3. The article states...

...that this has been going on "in recent years", it didn't start today.