Japan's Hokuriku reports record summer power demand

TOKYO, July 22 (Reuters) - Hokuriku Electric Power Co (9505.T) said on Tuesday demand for the company's electricity hit a record high earlier in the day as a heatwave scorched central Japan and boosted use of air-conditioning.

Hokuriku is the first Japanese utility to report record demand this summer, and others may follow suit this month and next as a heatwave sweeps through the country, in line with hotter-than-average forecasts by the nation's official weather forecaster.

The utility, based in Toyama Prefecture, said in a statement that electricity demand peaked at 5.675 million kilowatts at 3 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Tuesday, topping its previous record of 5.58 million kw hit on Aug. 9, 2007.

The three main cities that Hokuriku serves all had temperatures exceeding 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit). (Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Chris Gallagher)