(Yicai Global) Aug. 25 -- The consumer rush to buy small power generators after China’s southwestern Sichuan province started to ration electricity has sent the share prices of the products’ manufacturers soaring.

Senci Electric Machinery [SHA: 603109], for example, closed up 5.8 percent today at CNY24.65 (USD3.60) a share. The stock has climbed almost 35 percent since the start of the month.

Sichuan is experiencing severe power shortages as a result of surging demand for electricity just as hydropower generation has plunged due to drought cause by a persistent heatwave. The province relies on hydropower for 82 percent of its electricity generation.

Sichuan triggered its highest emergency response to the shortfall on Aug. 21 after ordering a production stoppage at businesses that use a lot of energy and prioritized supplies to residents.

The rationing has given some uplift to Senci Electric’s sales of power generators, though not a significant boost, the Chongqing-based company said on the Shanghai Stock Exchange ’s question-and-answer platform for investors on Aug. 23.

Li Duohai, a generator dealer in a small town in Dazhou, Sichuan, told Yicai Global that he has sold seven generators and repaired more than a dozen since the power shortage in mid-August. “Local residents rarely buy generators, and some have kept them idle after buying machines, so these generators need repairing,” he said.

Zhao Guangchuan, one of Li's customers, bought two on Aug. 19 for use in a local pig farm and orchard. “It’s so hot that hundreds of pigs may die, so it’s a must for us to generate electricity to cool them down,” he told Yicai Global. “Orchard sprinklers are also in dire need of electricity.”

Li said that his generator suppliers are in nearby Chongqing. There has been a supply shortfall recently, but mainly for dealers who order in bulk. Those who only buy one to two sets at a time can get them delivered the next day.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Peter Thomas