China’s Record Hot Spell Piling Pressure on Power Supply
- Further efforts are needed to secure fuel supplies, NEA says
- Nation seeking to avoid repeat of recent electricity curbs
A woman protects herself from the sun in Beijing on July 1.
Photographer: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
China is bracing for more extreme heat over summer after a record spell of high temperatures, with expectations that an earlier-than-usual surge in electricity demand will put more pressure on the grid.
The country has experienced the largest number of days when the average temperature is 35C (95F) or above this year through June since records began in 1961, the National Climate Center said in a report. More heat waves are forecast in July and August, when temperatures across much of the nation will be as much as 2C higher than usual, it said.