Power usage in the capital reached 10.27 million kilowatts yesterday after the record high of 10.58 million kilowatts on Wednesday.

With the city's power safety limit set at 10.60 million kilowatts, steps were taken to reduce consumption by 600,000 kilowatts and ensure safe operation of the grid.

According to requirements issued by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, giant energy consumers such as Beijing Shougang Group, the country's fourth largest steel manufacturer, cut its power consumption by 200,000 kilowatts yesterday.

In addition, more than 300 units, including large-scaled office buildings, shopping malls, factories, and governmental organizations, had to reduce their energy usage by 150,000 kilowatts between 11 am and 12 am, one of the peak consumption periods.

"According to emergency measures, those units were required to cut their energy consumption in some less important fields. The air conditioning would not have been affected," said Chen Tiecheng, an official from Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform. The commission also required street lighting be switched off on one side of the roads to save energy.

"The residents' power consumption demands will still be met," Chen stressed.

With temperatures frequently topping 38 C since June, more units and families have been using their air conditioners, which accounts for one third of the capital's total energy consumption.

Over the same period last year, Beijing's energy consumption hit 9.5 million kilowatts, also breaking the record at that time.

Shanghai drama

In Shanghai, the city's power grid reached its highest level so far this year on July 5 at 16.6 million kilowatts, compared to a peak-time high of 15 million kilowatts last year. The daily peak-time load currently stands at around 14.7 million kilowatts.

"This is the limit of the load on our grid," a press officer with the Shanghai Electric Power Corporation told China Daily yesterday.

"The city's power-saving measures are very important to ensure the power grid is not over-loaded."

Shanghai is now working to save every watt of electricity to overcome the summer rush. The Shanghai municipal government has ordered major power-guzzling enterprises to rearrange their work shifts from July 10 to August 26 to ensure balanced electricity consumption.

It also ordered the city's stylish landscaping neon lights be shut off once daytime temperatures exceed 35 C, and required air-conditioned offices to keep their room temperatures no lower than 26 C.

Local residents are also encouraged to use energy-saving lights, electric fans instead of air conditioners, and washers with a time-setting function.

Shanghai has predicted a peak-time demand of 19,000 megawatts this summer.

But the Shanghai government has promised "only temporary electricity restriction, but no blackout," as all power-saving measures and contingency plans are in place.

It also guarantees that the energy demands of key enterprises and foreign-invested companies will be satisfied.