China’s Chengdu bolsters power supply ahead of international games, looming heat

BEIJING: China’s Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, is shoring up the city’s electricity supply for the FISU Summer World University Games later this month as power grids across the country get stretched to their limits due to sweltering heat.

A power supply command-and-dispatch centre began operations in June for the Chengdu Universiade, which will run from Jul 28 to Aug 8, according to state media.

The centre has real-time monitoring capabilities, enabling it to gather information on electricity consumption at various points, encompassing lighting, microphones and power sockets, Xinhua news reported on Saturday (Jul 8).

The system will monitor electricity consumption data of 49 venues and will also have the ability to allocate power resources across the region, state media said.

Many parts of China have seen extremely high temperatures over the past several weeks, which has driven up electricity demand for cooling.

Weather forecasters have put out persistent heat warnings and advisories, and governments have asked citizens and businesses to curb electricity consumption.

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) World Conference, a platform to discuss growing and developing global university sport, will be held Jul 29 to 31.