China’s heat wave leads to record-breaking production of electricity

By Wayne Chang, CNN

(CNN) — A major Chinese power generator says its electricity production has reached a record high as the country grapples with a punishing heat wave.

China Energy Investment Corporation, one of the world’s largest generators of coal-fired power, says the volume of electricity it produced on Monday had hit a daily record.

The state-owned company recorded total electricity generation of 4.09 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) on that day, an increase of 210 million kWh from the day before, according to a statement on Tuesday.

It exceeded the previous record by 40 million kWh, it added, without specifying when that milestone was achieved. One kilowatt-hour is the energy used by leaving a 40-watt bulb on for 24 hours.

“Due to the continuous high temperatures, the electricity load in many parts of the country continues to rise,” China Energy said.

“The highest load in provinces across southern China and eastern China has repeatedly hit new heights, and the power supply and demand situation in some areas is severe.”

China has been gripped by scorching heat waves for weeks, which authorities said had arrived earlier this year and were more widespread and extreme than in previous years.

Last week, officials said the country had beat its own record for the number of hot days over six months.

Beijing, the capital, may currently be facing one of its hottest summers on record, with temperatures soaring past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent days.

China Energy did not say whether a surge in demand for air conditioning was behind the record power generation. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

People around the world have been cranking up their air conditioners as they try to stay cool. But the more they turn to their air conditioners, the warmer the world gets.

As its needs grow, China has been accelerating production of sustainable energy.

Currently, the country is on track to double its wind and solar energy capacity and hit its 2030 clean energy targets as soon as five years earlier, a June report has found.

The economy is expected to produce 1,200 gigawatts of solar and wind power by 2025 if all prospective plants are built and commissioned, according to the study from nonprofit Global Energy Monitor.

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— CNN’s Michelle Toh contributed to this report.