Greeks urged to use less power as worst heatwave in decades tests grid

ATHENS: Greek authorities urged citizens to conserve electricity as the worst heatwave in more than 30 years pushed the power system to its limits on Monday and wildfires continued to burn in many areas.

With the weather service forecasting temperatures as high as 44 Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) this week, energy authorities have warned that power demand will skyrocket, testing the capacity of an electricity grid already burdened by more than 3 million holiday makers during the summer tourist season. "We're dealing with the worst heatwave since 1987," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after attending a meeting at a power management centre. "Everything humanly possible has been done to secure the country's power supply. But we are also asking consumers to help us."