(Yicai) July 15 -- With extremely high temperatures forecast across China for the coming week, local energy companies are stepping up efforts to address the surging electricity demand.

Underground gas storage facilities in China have accumulated over 11 billion cubic meters of natural gas to ensure a stable supply, according to official data.

Temperatures in some areas of China will reach 39 to 41 degrees Celsius next week, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Most parts of the country are expected to experience above-average temperatures this summer, the National Climate Center told Yicai.

Peak power demand has already broken records twice this summer, hitting 1.467 billion kilowatts, a surge of 150 million kW compared to the same period last year, according to data from the National Energy Administration. Ten provincial power grids, including Shandong province, have set new load records 22 times this summer.

If summer temperatures reach new historic highs, peak electricity demand could hit 1.57 billion kW, said Hou Wenjie, director of the statistics and data center at the China Electricity Council. Localized and temporary supply-demand tensions may occur, but the overall power balance is expected to hold steady, he added.

In an effort to hike the power supply, some local authorities have increased their local consumpiton of renewable energies. For example, the Hubei provincial branch of State Grid launched an advanced renewable energy dispatch system that integrates 378 renewable energy stations in the province, covering wind, solar, energy storage, and other sources, supplying at least 10 kW each to the grid.

Editor: Futura Costaglione