In Depth: Despite the Summer Heat, China’s Power Prices Keep Dropping

A Chinese summer typically brings sweltering heat and soaring electricity prices as the nation flicks on its air con.

But this year, power is actually getting cheaper in some regions.

In Guangdong province, the country’s biggest power consumer, spot electricity prices in July repeatedly fell below 0.3 yuan (4.2 U.S. cents) per kilowatt-hour (kWh). On July 21, the price hit a monthly low of less than 0.24 yuan.