This summer, scorching temperatures have swept across much of the globe. In China, 58 national meteorological observation stations recorded maximum temperatures exceeding 40°C for multiple consecutive days, and the power loads of 23 provincial grids have broken historical records a cumulative 59 times. Starting today, the news channel is launching a series of reports titled "Fighting the Heat, Protecting Livelihoods," with multiple correspondents visiting the front lines of energy and power, transportation and logistics, industrial and agricultural production, and urban security. They will bring you live coverage of how various regions and sectors across the country are actively responding to high temperatures and making every effort to ensure people's livelihoods, observing the new changes in China's economy and society as it navigates the peak summer season.
Rising Summer Electricity Demand Spurs Innovation in Supply Security
The latest data from the National Energy Administration shows that, as of August 6, the maximum electricity load this summer has exceeded the peak value of 2025 for 11 cumulative days. The peak load reached a high of 1.553 billion kilowatts, an increase of approximately 45 million kilowatts from the historical extreme of the same period last year. This week, the load has remained above 1.5 billion kilowatts for four consecutive days. Facing this new situation, regions across the country are going all out, adopting new technologies and methods to ensure stable power production and supply during the peak summer period, firmly holding the bottom line for residential electricity use.
Chongqing: The "Furnace City's" Cool Confidence
Chongqing has long been known as a "furnace city," with naturally high summer electricity demand. This year, the city has faced consecutive hot weather events, causing the grid's maximum load to break historical records three times. During interviews, reporters noticed that despite the persistently high electricity load, the power dispatch personnel, who were once "on high alert," have become much calmer this year. Where does this composure come from? According to meteorological records, since the start of summer, Chongqing has experienced 25 consecutive days with temperatures above 35°C. The widespread use of air conditioners has directly pushed up the grid load. Reporters at the Chongqing Power Dispatch and Control Center learned that the city's maximum grid load this year reached 31.4 million kilowatts, an increase of 1.12 million kilowatts compared to last year's peak. However, staff appeared less tense even as the peak load continued to climb. Shuai Hong, Deputy Chief Engineer of the State Grid Chongqing Electric Power Dispatch and Control Center, explained, "Our supply situation is much better this year. First, the 'Xinjiang Power to Chongqing' project provides capacity equivalent to the two largest thermal power plants in our grid. Additionally, we have regulated power sources, including energy storage and pumped storage, which can generate peak power when needed." Staff told reporters that the power transmitted from Xinjiang to Chongqing has increased from 4 million kilowatts last year to 6 million kilowatts this summer, greatly alleviating Chongqing's electricity supply anxiety. Half of this power from thousands of miles away is wind and solar green energy. Once in Chongqing, part of it is stored in 12 new-type energy storage stations. These stations act like giant "power banks," charging when electricity demand is low and rapidly discharging during peak hours. "Copy that, Shuanghuai Energy Storage Station will discharge at 185 megawatts, executing immediately," a reporter heard on-site. After receiving the dispatch command, the power output of the energy storage station jumped from 0 to 180 megawatts in a very short time, effectively compensating for the electricity needed to run over 50,000 household air conditioners simultaneously. Su Yu, Deputy Station Manager of the Chongqing Hechuan Power Generation Co., Ltd. Energy Storage Station, stated, "Previously, we mainly charged during off-peak hours and discharged during the evening peak. Now, as long as the storage station isn't on a maintenance schedule, it participates in the grid's frequency regulation service all day. When the output from solar and wind power decreases, energy storage needs to respond quickly." From relying mainly on local hydropower and thermal power in the past to now being supported by imported power, energy storage, new energy, and gas-fired power, Chongqing's power "asset base" for coping with extreme heat is becoming more robust. Shuai Hong further noted, "In terms of categories, we have added pumped storage and battery storage. The installed capacity of storage has reached 1.4 million kilowatts. Furthermore, the proportion of installed gas turbines, wind power, and solar power has increased significantly compared to 2022. The share of installed solar capacity has grown from 2.46% in 2022 to 15.19% in 2026." A thicker and more flexible power security network, combined with the hard work of power supply personnel, has brought "air conditioning freedom" to Chongqing during the heatwave. Chongqing resident Zhu Shaolin remarked, "In the past, especially during peak electricity usage periods, I always worried about blackouts. But it seems like that hasn't happened in the last couple of years. I have more and more electrical appliances at home 鈥?robot vacuums, ovens, washer-dryers. Life for ordinary people is truly more comfortable now."
'Invisible' Power Plants Ease Peak Load Pressure
In this year's summer peak power supply, an "invisible" power plant also plays an indispensable role: the Virtual Power Plant (VPP). During peak hours, it aggregates dispersed charging stations and power resources, dispatching them through an intelligent platform to where they are needed most. This year, the hot weather in the south arrived early, bringing the peak electricity demand period forward. In Shenzhen, reporters learned that the peak electricity load came more than a month earlier than in previous years. Cheng Renli, General Manager of the Shenzhen Virtual Power Plant Management Center, explained, "Due to a combination of factors like persistent high temperatures, the booming digital economy, and strong demand for new energy vehicle charging, the Shenzhen grid is showing entirely new peak load characteristics, with 'three peaks' 鈥?morning, noon, and evening 鈥?running in parallel, plus a concentrated charging peak at midnight." Staff told reporters that this year, they have deeply integrated artificial intelligence with the virtual power plant. On the large screen at the Shenzhen VPP Management Center, reporters saw a power consumption curve with a steady downward trend. Behind this curve was a "cloud relay" completed by 61 operators and over 14,000 users. Within a short period, these parties could aggregate a maximum regulation capacity of 1.4 million kilowatts, equivalent to the output of a medium-sized thermal power plant, relieving pressure on the grid. Cheng Renli added, "This year, we introduced a new AI model, 'Tianxuan-lingxi.' It can proactively identify the risk of overload on grid equipment based on real-time grid operation status and provide strategies for where and how much the virtual power plant should adjust. The entire process is very smart and efficient." It's not just Shenzhen. This year, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, and many other places are also using virtual power plants for peak load regulation. Shanghai has aggregated 71 operators, with a dispatchable capacity exceeding 2.7 million kilowatts; Zhejiang has achieved bidirectional regulation for peak shaving and valley filling, with a cumulative response exceeding 100 million kilowatt-hours. Currently, there are over 470 virtual power plants nationwide, with a maximum regulation capacity exceeding 16 million kilowatts. Virtual power plants are playing an increasingly important role in ensuring supply during the peak summer season.
Over 5 Billion kWh of Electricity Flows Across Provinces Daily to Support Summer Peak Demand
Another crucial method for ensuring power supply during the peak summer season is inter-provincial and inter-regional power transmission. Since the beginning of this year, an average of over 5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity has flowed across provinces daily, alleviating the pressure on high-load areas. In recent days, the electricity load in several other places across the country has hit new historical highs. In Beijing, the grid's maximum load reached 29.939 million kilowatts on August 6, breaking the historical record set in 2024. The load from cooling appliances like air conditioners grew significantly, accounting for nearly half of the total. To ensure sufficient power supply, wind power from Heilongjiang and solar power from Qinghai were transmitted to Beijing for the first time just two days ago, delivering 47 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity. Cui Dongjun, Director of the Trading Department at the Capital Power Trading Center, stated, "Qinghai's solar power is more abundant during the day, while Heilongjiang's wind power is more abundant at night. By optimizing the allocation based on the different generation characteristics of the two regions and conducting day-night complementary relay trading, we have achieved a scenario where Qinghai's solar power supplies Beijing's midday air conditioning load, and Heilongjiang's wind power takes over to supply Beijing's evening peak demand." In Anhui, the UHV transmission line from northern Shaanxi to Anhui, which was put into operation at the end of June, has also strongly supported local electricity demand. The project has cumulatively transmitted over 2 billion kilowatt-hours, with a daily transmission volume exceeding 70 million kilowatt-hours, accounting for about one-third of Hefei's daily electricity consumption. During this peak summer period, the maximum inter-provincial and inter-regional power transmission capacity in China has exceeded 278 million kilowatts, equivalent to the combined output of 12 Three Gorges hydropower stations. Forty-six UHV projects are continuously and rapidly transmitting surplus power from the northwest and southwest to the peak-load areas in the central and eastern regions. Simultaneously, the electricity market trading remains active. In the first half of the year, the volume of electricity traded on the national power market increased by 24.2% year-on-year, and the frequency of market transactions has continued to increase, making inter-provincial and inter-regional power allocation more precise and efficient.
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