The light show extravaganza scheduled for the National Day celebration has been canceled in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, as well as in the Shenzhen special economic zone to help ease heavy pressure on the region's electrical supply.

A statement released by the Guangzhou Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau on Thursday, said that no major light shows will be presented during the weeklong National Day holiday, which begins on Saturday.

Previously, light shows had been planned to be held along the Pearl River in downtown areas to celebrate the nation's founding.

The amount of time the city's iconic architecture, major buildings and scenic spots will be lighted will also be shortened during the holiday, the statement said.

In Shenzhen also, lights will be limited during the National Day holiday. Xu Haiwen, an official in the administrative center that governs lights, said the lighting time at major scenic spots and on buildings will shortened by 30 minutes.

Shenzhen's lighting time will begin at 7 pm and end at 9:30 pm during the holidays. Currently the city's lighting time is between 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm.

With the shortened time, the city will be able to save more than 23,000 kilowatt-hours in the southern metropolis, Xu said.

Earlier this week, the Guangdong Bureau of Energy and electricity grid officials jointly issued a proposal urging departments and cities across the province to conserve electricity to ensure a sufficient supply for residential use.

The province, one of the major production bases of the world, has introduced staggered peak power consumption to help ease the heavy pressure on electrical systems this week

Guangdong electricity officials attribute Guangdong's shortage to the strong economic rebound in the recent months, price increases for coal and natural gas and soaring temperatures in the warm southern region that trigger spikes in air-conditioner use.

Electrical consumption reached more than 525.27 billion kilowatt-hours in the first eight months this year, up 17.33 percent year-on-year.

Temperatures in Guangdong reached 34 C to 38 C in September, up 3 C to 4 C from the same period last year.