[Source: Reuters]

Extreme heat baked megacities on the eastern Chinese seaboard and sharply pushed up demand for power to cool homes and offices, while scorching temperatures in China’s interior stoked fears of damage to rice crops.

The megacity of Hangzhou, home to 12.5 million people and some of China’s largest companies, banned all non-essential outdoor lighting and light shows this week to conserve energy as extreme heat tested power grids, local authorities said.

Known for its entrepreneurs and tech giants such as Alibaba, opens a new tab and NetEase, opens a new tab, Hangzhou has sweltered under temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) since Friday as eastern and southern China endure stubbornly high temperatures.

In Shanghai, the maximum load, or demand, on its power grid exceeded 40 million kilowatts for the first time on Aug. 2 as heat waves boosted electricity consumption in the city of nearly 25 million people.

Shanghai leads the country in power load density, with the city’s core Lujiazui area consuming twice the power per square kilometre compared to New York’s Manhattan or Tokyo’s Ginza district, according to its grid operator.

As the maximum load on Hangzhou’s grids clocked new highs, officials said they would implement a “practical” plan to ensure the normal operation of functional lighting in public spaces and safeguard the safety of night-time travel.

Chinese meteorologists say the record heat in 2024 has been fueled by global warming despite the cooling effects of the La Nina weather phenomenon.

This year, China was hit by its warmest spring since 1961, followed by the hottest May that was followed by weeks of drought-like conditions in the central farmland region.

Maximum daily temperatures of 37 C to 39 C, and even above 40 C, are expected to hit parts of Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Zhejiang through Sunday.