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SHANGHAI: Parts of Shanghai faced blackouts on Monday as the Chinese economic hub's power network struggles to meet soaring electricity demand boosted by scorching heat, state media said.
The city sizzled over the weekend when the mercury hit 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 Fahrenheit) on Saturday, the hottest July 5 ever since records began, the Shanghai Daily said.
"The city's electrical grid is fully loaded. All the backup power generation systems are in use," the paper said, citing Wang Changxing, a local power official.
The city might have to introduce blackouts, Wang told the newspaper.
The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau forecast temperatures of 35 degrees on at least three days this week, the report said.
There were also power shortages in neighbouring provinces surrounding Shanghai and the heat had left them short of spare capacity to send to the financial hub, Xinhua news agency said.
Power shortages have loomed each summer in many parts of China, particularly in the wealthier south and east, where consumption peaks due to increased use of air-conditioning.
The State Electricity Regulatory Commission said in a statement in June that the country would face grave power supply challenges this summer.
The State Grid Corporation of China, the nation's top power grid operator, is expected to face a shortfall of up to 10 million kilowatts this summer given high coal costs and the hot weather, the agency said.
- AFP/jk
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