Beijing — China’s national electricity load exceeded 1.5 billion kilowatts on Wednesday, setting a new historic high, the National Energy Administration said, as extreme heat in wide swathes of the country drove up electricity demand.
This is the third “record high” in terms of electricity load the country has seen so far this month after peaks on July 4 and 7, the NEA said. Records have also been broken 36 times at the provincial level since the start of the summer.
Sweltering heat topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) has been roasting China’s heartland in recent days, with cities in the central province of Hubei and the northwestern province of Shaanxi experiencing 42C, setting local records and stretching the country’s power grid.
*Xiuhao Chen & Ryan Woo, editing: William Maclean – Reuters
