TEXAS SEES RECORD DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY DURING HEAT WAVE

  

Demand for electricity in Texas amid blistering heat hit a new record on Sunday.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) recorded demand above 75,000 megawatts around 5:15 p.m. Sunday.  The previous record of 74,800 megawatts was set on August 12, 2019.

Operators of the state’s power grid said capacity remained above demand by about 10,000 megawatts.

The soaring demand comes as much of the state sees 100 degree temperatures earlier than normal.  Nearly the entire state was under a heat advisory on Sunday.

Last month, ERCOT released its summer assessment, in which it predicted it would reach record demand of 77,317 megawatts, above the new record set Sunday.  It expects it will have “sufficient installed generating capacity to serve peak demands” during the summer.