Manama, Bahrain – Bahrain has recorded unprecedented electricity consumption, authorities said, as scorching summer temperatures and high humidity force increased reliance on energy-intensive air-conditioning systems.
Manama’s Electricity and Water Authority said the tiny island state, located in one of planet’s warmest regions, “recorded its highest-ever electricity consumption rate” on Thursday at 3,798 megawatts.
Beating last year’s record of 3,708 MW, the latest figure came as temperatures on Thursday reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), compounded by 85-percent humidity.
The electricity authority said on social media it “urges all of its customers to adopt practices that promote energy and water conservation in order to help preserve our national resources”.
Life in Bahrain largely moves indoors during the summer months, with the ever-present Arctic blast of air-conditioning systems.
Like other Gulf states, Bahrain is prone to hot and dry summers made warmer by climate change.
Experts predict that the entire region could become uninhabitable by the end of the century if warming trends are not reversed.
Efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change have gained pace in the Gulf as the United Arab Emirates prepares to host the United Nations’ climate summit later this year.
COP28 will take place in the UAE business hub of Dubai in November and December.