Husky is facing changes to its power supply arrangements for a facility due to open up in March

Husky is facing changes to its power supply arrangements for a facility due to open up in March

Electricity supply constraint is a growing issue for manufacturers setting up operations in China, according to Husky. The company is to open a facility in Shanghai in March but is already facing changes in its power supply arrangements. Vice-president of factory planning Michael Gould said the company has been asked to shift its power load needs on Mondays and Wednesdays to Saturdays and Sundays.

Gould told delegates at the EPN , APN and PRW Plastics in China conference in London today that the request to change its power use pattern surfaced in the past month. Husky’s facility for manufacturing moulding machines and hotrunners has been built with many energy-efficient measures; the company is currently looking at the implications of the request for its plant.

Electricity constraints in China are still in their infancy as an issue Gould said, but will emerge over the next two to three years until new generation capacity comes on stream. The problem has arisen as manufacturing growth has outstripped the building of generation capacity.