Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, has urged more than 4,000 local enterprises to each switch off electricity for two days a week starting Friday to prevent the grid from crashing.

According to the local power management department, the city's electricity consumption reached a record 5.11 million kilowatts Thursday, causing a huge power shortage.

The blackouts will be carried out by different enterprises in different time periods, according relevant regulations. Compulsory blackouts will be imposed on those enterprises which do not switch off electricity as required.

Another 111 enterprises are required to cut electricity consumption by anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent daily to reduce pressure on local power grid.

It is predicted that the city's peak power consumption will reach a maximum of 6 million kilowatts in the second quarter this year and 6.8 million kilowatts in the third quarter.

To tackle the growing power shortage, the city will beef up its efforts to enforce electricity switch-off in local enterprises so as to guarantee normal operation of government departments, telecommunications services, air and railway transportation and daily electricity consumption of local residents, government sources said.

(Xinhau News Agency April 24, 2004)