SHANGHAI (REUTERS) - The consumption of electricity in the Chinese provinces of Shandong and Henan reached records this week, primarily driven by the use of air conditioning, as scorching heat waves spread across regions north of the Yangtze river.

The electricity load at Shandong’s power grid hit 92.94 million kilowatts on Tuesday (June 22), passing the 2020 peak of 90.22 million kilowatts, to set a record, state television said on Wednesday.

Several cities in Shandong, where “red alert” warnings of high temperatures have been issued, also saw historically high power loads.

Loads in Henan reached a peak of 71.08 million kilowatts on Monday, surpassing the previous day’s record of 65.34 million kilowatts, according to state media.

Premier Li Keqiang, visiting a thermal power company in Hebei Province, said that China must increase coal production capacity to "resolutely prevent power outages", according to a state media summary published late on Tuesday.

Parts of Hebei and nearby provinces of Henan and Shandong have faced drought-like conditions throughout June.

On Wednesday, China's meteorological administration issued orange alerts warning of high temperatures in regions across the three provinces.

Compounding the heat waves in China's north are heavy rainfalls in seven provinces and a tornado that ripped through the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, which cut off power supply to over 5,400 users last week.