KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) recorded demand for electricity on Wednesday at 17,175 megawatts (MW), the highest ever in Peninsular Malaysia.
In a statement yesterday, TNB said the high consumption was pushed by the exceptionally hot weather in the past few days.
“The hot weather in the past few days had pushed electricity consumption to its highest in Peninsular Malaysia, with TNB recording an all-time high peak demand of 17,175MW on Wednesday.
“The heat wave, due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, saw consumer demand for energy soar since Monday, breaching the 17,000MW peak demand threshold.”
TNB said this broke the previous record peak demand of 16,901MW, which was registered on June 6, 2014.
The national energy provider said the higher demand would not affect the reliability of power supply as TNB had sufficient generational capacity.
It said there was capacity to generate 22,220MW of electricity in the peninsula, out of which 11,818MW was TNB’s own capacity, while the rest was from independent power producers.
“In line with the government’s call for the efficient use of energy, electricity consumers are encouraged to adopt measures during the peak hours of energy consumption between 2pm and 5pm.”
The measures include setting air conditioners between 23ºC and 25ºC, ironing and washing clothes at night and boiling water during off-peak hours.
For large power users, such as cement manufacturers and steel millers, TNB advised them to operate machines or factories at night.
Consumers who wish to get more information on energy efficiency tips can refer to TNB’s website at www.tnb.com.my.