GUANGZHOU, May 26 (Xinhua) -- China Southern Power Grid's electricity load surged to an all-time high at 8:21 p.m. on Monday, shattering the previous record by 1.83 million kilowatts and breaking a six-year pattern where annual peaks typically arrived in June or July.

The company supplies electricity to Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan. The unprecedented spike signals an upgrade in these regions' economic structures.

Li Zhiyong, a manager of the company's power distribution center, attributed the early surge to unseasonably early high temperatures across China's southern areas, factories running at full capacity, and rising household consumption.

Advanced manufacturing and new energy sectors now operate around the clock, while data centers and nighttime electric vehicle charging have reshaped demand patterns, according to Li.

The grid has taken a slew of measures to ensure stable supply, such as tapping more of the potential of renewable power generation and clearing cross-provincial transmission corridors for electricity-sharing.