China’s electricity demand soars as heatwaves bake northern, central provinces
- Millions switch on air conditioners as high temperatures approach 40 degrees Celsius
- Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in southern region causes rivers to flood above warning levels
Several cities in Shandong, China’s second-most populous province, have issued “red alert” high temperature warnings, which have pushed up demand for air conditioning among the region’s more than 100 million people.
Temperatures in the regions were expected to hit above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) this week, according to the state weather forecaster.
Loads in adjacent Henan province reached a peak of 71.08 million kW on Monday, exceeding the previous day’s record of 65.34 million kW, according to state media.
Premier Li Keqiang, visiting a thermal power company in the northern province of Hebei, said China must increase coal production capacity to “resolutely prevent power outages”, according to a state media summary published late on Tuesday.