Power grid workers carry out high-altitude tower assembly and installation work to help ensure power supply during the summer peak, in Xiuning county, Huangshan, East China's Anhui Province, on April 24, 2026. Photo: VCG

China Southern Power Grid (CSG) has activated measures to ensure power supply during peak summer demand after its power load hit a record high on Wednesday night for the third consecutive day, breaking its annual peak load record more than a month earlier than in previous years, China's state media CCTV reported on Thursday.

Real-time data from CSG's power dispatching and control center showed the power load across the five southern provincial-level regions climbing above 272 million kilowatts, setting a new historical record, according to CCTV.

Li Zhiyong, a manager at CSG's central dispatch center, said that high temperatures in south China have arrived significantly earlier this year. Coupled with steady industrial production and robust consumer activities, multiple factors have driven power load to surpass its historical peak well ahead of schedule, according to a Tuesday report by China Electric Power News.

According to CCTV, power loads in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan all reached new highs within CSG's service areas. Guangdong became the first provincial-level region in China to see its power load exceed 160 million kilowatts, nearly two months earlier than the first peak in previous years. Guangxi recorded its fourth new high this year at 38.816 million kilowatts. Hainan also saw repeated record highs, with local power, meteorological and emergency authorities working together to ensure stable power supply for the free trade port.

Temperatures above 35 C have persisted in parts of southern China, with the temperature in some southern cities, including Fuzhou and Haikou, exceeding 40 C, according to Weather China, a website run by the China Meteorological Administration, on Wednesday.

Facing earlier-than-usual pressure to ensure power supply, CSG has fully activated its mechanisms to guarantee power supply during peak loads in summertime, with measures including increasing support for gas-fired power generation, tapping new energy generation potential and improving cross-provincial power-sharing to keep power supply and electricity market operations stable, according to China Electric Power News. 

At a press conference on May 22, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said that, according to forecasts by the National Climate Center, temperatures in most parts of China this summer are expected to be higher than the same period in normal years.

The NDRC noted that high temperatures will significantly increase electricity demand for air conditioning, while drought conditions may affect hydropower generation capacity. Some extreme weather events could also damage power facilities or force them offline, affecting the safe and stable operation of the power system and adding pressure to energy and electricity supply.

The commission said it will make full use of the inter-ministerial coordination mechanism for ensuring coal, electricity, oil, gas and transportation supplies, and work with relevant parties to make solid preparations to guarantee power supply.

Global Times