16-6-2023 (BEIJING) Record-breaking heatwaves have hit several cities in northern China this week, putting a strain on the country’s electricity supplies and prompting authorities to conduct mock emergency drills. The temperatures have soared to unprecedented levels, and experts have predicted extreme conditions throughout the country that could exceed last year’s sizzling spell, which lasted for more than two months.
On Thursday (Jun 15), Shijiazhuang, the capital city of Hebei province, became the first provincial capital to hit 40 degrees Celsius this year, according to state media. Cities in the same province, including Zhangjiakou and Chengde, also broke temperature records for June. The Central Meteorological Administration issued heightened heat warnings by 10 am local time on Friday.
Capital Beijing is expected to experience temperatures between 37 degrees Celsius and 39 degrees Celsius until Saturday, while the Tianjin Meteorological Observatory raised its warning level to red with temperatures expected to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius.
The persistent heat has put the country’s power grid operators on high alert, with some cities in the south warning firms and people to reduce their energy usage. China’s National Energy Administration staged a power emergency drill on the state grid’s East China network on Thursday, simulating a power surge and outage to prepare early warning and power management mechanisms.
The East China regional grid, which serves economically key cities such as Shanghai and Hangzhou, expects a peak load of more than 397 gigawatts (GW) this summer. This is greater than the total electricity generation capacity of Japan, according to 2021 data from the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Shanghai’s state-owned energy and water companies also released measures on Thursday to meet the power and water demands during the summer season, aiming to prevent potential shortages that hit the country last year.
