The ongoing drought has depleted hydroelectric power generation to the point that Yunnan has temporarily stopped transmitting electricity to Guangdong province.

Yunnan's hydroelectric dams typically generate a surplus of electricity, which is sold to surrounding provinces and countries.

But this year during Chinese New Year, Guangdong actually donated 350 million kilowatt-hours of electricity to Yunnan, a role reversal for one of the larger consumers of Yunnan's hydroelectric power.

The dearth of precipitation in Yunnan since last year has caused hydroelectric stations across the province to run below capacity, while some are not operating at all, according to local media reports.

Overall, exports of Yunnan-generated electricity to Guangdong are down by 4.23 billion kilowatt-hours this year.

A government official familiar with the energy sector said that the government has made contingency plans that will force electricity-intensive industries to shut down if power supplies become too scarce.

Meteorologists are predicting that Yunnan will not receive significant amounts of precipitation until May at the earliest.