High temperatures and the accompanying increase in use of air conditioners are resulting in record power consumption in Beijing, as well as in south China's Guangdong Province.

The capital's power consumption reached 10.59 million kilowatts at 4:24 PM yesterday, setting a record for the city and nearing safety limits, said an official from Beijing Electric Power Corporation.

Beijing has raised its yellow warning signal for power safety limits for a second time this year -- the first was on July 5 when consumption totaled 10.01 million kilowatts.
  
The official predicted that consumption would rise to 10.75 million kilowatts today, and an emergency plan will be initiated for businesses to work in rotation, expected to cut consumption by 350,000 kilowatts.

Vice Mayor Zhang Mao said 10.60 million kilowatts is the ceiling for the municipality, above which the operation of the power grids would become unsteady.
  
With temperatures frequently topping 38 degrees Celsius since June, energy consumption has been pushed to new highs as more air conditioners are used, accounting for one third of total energy consumption.

Meanwhile, Guangdong is experiencing its hottest weather of the year, with temperatures reaching more than 40.3 degrees Celsius in Yangshan, a county in the north of the province.
 
The provincial observatory warned that Guangdong has entered its hottest summer, and is urging local residents to take measures to protect themselves.

Supply on the provincial electricity grid has climbed to more than 44 million kilowatts, reaching full capacity in the past week.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily July 21, 2005)