BEIJING (AFP) -- China's capital notched up a daily record for electricity use this week despite government efforts to promote energy efficiency, state media reported Wednesday.

The amount of power consumed in Beijing Tuesday reached 10.81 million kilowatts, exceeding the previous record last year of 10.65 million kilowatts, according to the Beijing Electric Power Corporation, Xinhua news agency said.

Although the temperature only reached 32 degrees Celsius Tuesday (90 degrees Fahrenheit), high humidity which made the weather feel even hotter was blamed for the increased power consumption.

Large numbers of residential and office towers have also been built in Beijing in recent years, contributing to an increased use of air conditioning and lights.

Another important factor is Beijing's rising population, which has surpassed 15 million from just under 11 million in 1990.

The corporation estimates Beijing's peak power load could rise to as high as 12.2 million kilowatts sometime this summer, with more muggy days forecast.

The city's electricity grid was able to handle the higher load on Tuesday following the recent completion of 74 new power projects, said Gan Yinhui, deputy director of the corporation's production technology section.

The International Energy Agency said last month China needed to take more measures to encourage efficient use of electricity, highlighting the waste of power and environmental pollution from mostly coal-fired power plants.

China is now the second-biggest consumer of electricity in the world after the United States.