Chongqing - Chongqing's power grid hit a new all-time high on August 4, with electricity load reaching 29.74 million kilowatts at 5:13 p.m., as the city faced its fifth consecutive day under a red heat alert. 

This marks the third time this summer the record has been broken. The load was 4.8% higher than last year's peak of 28.37 million kilowatts, and 4% above the previous record of 28.6 million kilowatts set on July 18.

Transmission inspection personnel from State Grid Chongqing Extra-High Voltage Company used drones to conduct infrared temperature monitoring. (Photo/Li Tao)

In response to the spike in demand, State Grid Chongqing Electric Power Company has coordinated internal generation and external purchases to ensure supply. The company has secured a peak external power purchase capacity of 9.71 million kilowatts—up 78% year-on-year. Key infrastructure projects have also come online, including the ultra-high-voltage Xinjiang-to-Chongqing transmission project and 12 other summer peak projects.

To strengthen reliability, the company has stepped up equipment maintenance and monitoring of critical transmission corridors and urban lifeline systems such as hospitals, water, and gas facilities. 

Shuai Hong, deputy chief engineer at the State Grid Chongqing Dispatch and Control Center, said the company is closely tracking weather and electricity usage trends, refining load forecasts, and optimizing grid operations to maintain supply-demand balance.

During the summer peak period, on-site staffing has been reinstated at 26 substations, with over 1,031 personnel and 618 vehicles deployed daily. 

The company is also enhancing its emergency response capacity to ensure the safe and stable operation of the power grid. So far, 694 special inspections and 680 infrared temperature checks have been conducted, with 169 fire-prevention patrol sites set up across the network.

China's power demand hit record highs four times this year, with the national peak load reaching 1.508 billion kilowatts—57 million kilowatts more than last year's maximum, equivalent to Fujian Province's entire electricity load, according to a recent press conference by the National Development and Reform Commission.

To meet rising demand, authorities acted early with precise power dispatch, coordinating hydropower, thermal, wind, solar, and storage sources. Cross-regional power transmission also set a new record at 148 million kilowatts. 

During peak times, 3.2 million kilowatts were transferred between grids via the Fujian-Guangdong DC mutual assistance and Jiangcheng DC reverse transmission. Thanks to these efforts, China’s overall power supply remains stable, with electricity demand well met across regions.