Scorching heat posing risks to power generation

Türkiye, like in other parts of the world, is roasting in a dangerous heatwave that experts warn may affect the country's electricity production.

On July 14, electricity consumption hit more than 1 million kWh, which marked a record consumption for a single day, as households and businesses increased their use of air conditioners to cool off.

This electricity consumption has cost households and businesses 2.8 billion Turkish Liras in a single day, according to daily Milliyet.

Electricity consumption on that day hit its highest level at 4 p.m. at 51,588 MW.

Electric consumption climbed to its all-time high due to a combination of several factors, including the higher use of air conditioners, agricultural irrigation and the industry sector's power consumption.

Experts warn that Türkiye is already experiencing a dry summer and that if the electricity consumption continues to increase, power shortages could be possible in the regions where consumer power the most, such as the area covering the provinces of Istanbul and the industrial provinces Kocaeli and Bursa as well as southeastern Türkiye.

People put spending on air conditioners on hold before July because the weather was mild and high prices affected the demand for those devices, said Ali Yıldız, the president of the White Goods Retailers' Association (BEYPER).

"Now demand is much stronger than we expected."

Yıldız also added that people cannot get an appointment from tech services to get their air conditioners installed. "Seeing this long waiting list. Some consumers give up on buying an air conditioner. But on the other hand, demand remains strong because people anticipate that the heatwave will continue to affect the country."

According to Yıldız,...