As temperatures dipped to 4.6 degrees below zero Celsius, the lowest in recorded in four years, Shanghai's electricity suppliers have come under strain as residents turned up heaters to try and stay warm, state media said.

Peak loads hit 8.02 million kilowatts during over the last four days, up 600,000 kilowatts year-on-year, the Shanghai Daily said.

Although authorities have not restricted power usage during the week-long New Year holiday, electricity companies received frequent complaints of outages throughout the eastern city, the daily said.

China suffered large-scale power shortages in 2003 as it struggled with a lack of electrical generators and the demands of its power-hungry economy.

Since 2000, the East China Power Grid has run at full capacity, but in the summer of 2003, the eastern region suffered the worst power shortage in history.

Shanghai's water companies had also been called on frequently to fix burst water pipes, the Liberation Daily said.

TERRA.WIRE