SHANGHAI, July 7 –Shanghai reported blackouts on Monday as summer temperatures continued to rise. The city’s power network is struggling to meet electricity demands brought by increased use of air-conditioning.

According to sources, the city’s electrical grid is fully loaded with all backup power generation systems are in use. On Saturday, city temperature reached 38.8 degrees Celsius, the hottest July 5 on record.

Provinces surrounding Shanghai were also not spared of blackouts that did not allow them to send spare capacity to the city.

The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau says that there will be temperatures of 35 degrees on at least three days this week. Last June, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission warned that the country would experience serious power shortages in summer.

According to Xinhua, top power grid operator, State Grid Corporation of China, should be facing a shortfall of up to 10 million kilowatts for the season because of high coal prices.

The Pearl River Delta is also suffering from similar problems. The region is the site of the China’s top manufacturing and export hubs and has continued to struggle to keep up supply for soaring power demand that comes with its rapid economic growth.

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