China’s Sweltering Heat Pushes Shanghai Power Demand to Record
- Grid is holding up with widespread outages so far averted
- Solar and hydropower increasingly vital to supporting coal
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Punishing heat throughout southern China is stressing power networks and farmland as extreme weather continues to exact a deadly toll in the world’s second-biggest economy.
Electricity demand in Shanghai has hit a record as temperatures surged to 40.4C (105F) on Sunday, close to the city’s all-time high of 40.9C first recorded in 1873 and repeated two years ago. Nearby provinces are also closely tracking the heat to ensure power supplies, while officials have warned rice farmers in Jiangxi and tropical fruit growers in Fujian to protect crops from the blistering conditions.