From People’s Daily:
Beijing ‘s power supply network is groaning under the strain this week as more families and businesses are forced to switch on the air conditioners in the early summer heat.
The city’s peak electricity demand hit 10.51 million kilowatts at 3:50 p.m. on Friday, the highest so far this year, said sources with the Beijing Electric Power Corporation.
The figure is already close to last year’s peak demand of 10.81 million kilowatts even though the city still has three months of searing heat to come. The company forecasts Beijing’s maximum demand will hit 13 million kilowatts, up 20 percent on last year. Air conditioners alone will consume 4.9 million kilowatts of electricity, 38 percent of the total consumption, it said. [Full Text]
