BEIJING : An oil refining city in southern China is calling on firms and citizens to save on electricity after its electricity load broke records three times as of Monday, as grid stress increases amid searing and persistent hot weather.
Southern China has been beleaguered by a combination of sizzling hot temperatures and heavy rainfalls in recent weeks, with power loads in several cities approaching historic highs due to soaring demand for air-conditioning.
The growth rate of power consumption in Maoming city in southern Guangdong province was as high as 8.01 per cent in the January to May period, and its residential electricity consumption increased by 27.41 per cent in May from a year earlier, the city government said in a statement on Monday.
The oil refinery city asked industrial firms to actively reduce power consumption and strengthen power-saving technology transformation, according to the statement.
It also suggested that state-owned firms, residents and commercial venues set cooling temperatures to no less than 26 degrees Celsius (79 F).
Separately, Jiangmen, another industrial city in Guangdong, is also proposing to cut unnecessary power usage amid the power consumption peak.
Earlier this month, the power load in key manufacturing hubs in the south including Guangdong rose to historic highs. China Southern Power Grid, one of the country's two grid operators, saw output hit 222 million kilowatts (kW), approaching historical highs.
The power load in Hainan also poked above 7 million kW for the first time in early-June.
China was hit by a record-breaking heatwave and drought last year, with large-scale power shortages that prompted regions like Yunan to ration power usage for aluminium producers.
Sizzling hot weather also sweltered through China's northern regions, with record-breaking high temperature expected in the coming days, state radio quoted China's meteorological authority as saying.