BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's usage of power and natural gas logged record highs on Sunday due to surging energy demand as strong cold waves hit many parts of the country, the country's top economic planner said on Tuesday.

On Dec. 17, the country's highest electricity load reached 1.242 billion kilowatts and gas consumption totaled 1.423 billion cubic meters, which were 83 million kilowatts and 108 million cubic meters higher than the peaks of last year's heating season, Li Chao, spokesperson of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference.

Li said the commission has worked in coordination with other agencies to ensure power and natural gas supplies in order to effectively meet the energy demand of the people.

Due to the strong cold waves, the country has seen sharp temperature drops and heavy snowfall over the past few days.