Italy consumes record levels of electricity as prolonged heatwaves drive air-conditioning use to new peaks.Italy's electricity consumption reached an all-time high for the month of July, according to figures released by grid operator Terna, as a succession of prolonged heatwaves kept air-conditioning systems running across the country throughout the summer.  National demand for the month totalled 32.5 terawatt-hours (TWh), the state-owned high-voltage grid operator said, marking the strongest July on record and surpassing the previous benchmark set in July 2015.   The rise builds on a pattern established earlier in the summer: June had already registered its highest monthly demand in a decade, at 28 TWh, up 1.8 per cent year-on-year.   Heatwaves The July surge follows a series of intense heatwaves that pushed hourly demand to fresh highs during the month.   On 15 July, national requirement peaked at 57,985 megawatts (MW) between 15.00 and 16.00, a provisional figure 4.6 per cent above the equivalent 2025 peak of 55,450 MW.   A fourth major heatwave later in the month, with temperatures reaching up to 41°C in parts of central Italy, kept the network under sustained pressure into August. Despite the intensity of the summer, Italy's historic single-day peak of 60.5 GW, set in July 2015, remained unbroken. Air con Terna attributed the record largely to the widespread and extended use of cooling systems as successive heatwaves affected most of the country.   The strain on the network also translated into localised disruption, with power cuts reported in several cities, including Naples, Rome, Turin and parts of the Milan hinterland, during the hottest spells.   The surge is electricity demand occurred alongside underlying growth in industrial and residential consumption that has now persisted for several consecutive months.   Terna's IMCEI index, which tracks around 1,000 energy-intensive businesses, has shown 10 straight months of year-on-year growth, pointing to a broader recovery in industrial activity alongside the weather-driven residential surge.