Texas power use breaks all-time high on Sunday, more records to come

Power demand in Texas hit an all-time high on Sunday and will likely break that record on Monday as economic growth boosts usage and homes and businesses keep air conditioners cranked up to escape a lingering heatwave. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state's power load, has said it has enough resources available to meet demand.

Power demand in Texas hit an all-time high on Sunday and will likely break that record on Monday as economic growth boosts usage and homes and businesses keep air conditioners cranked up to escape a lingering heatwave.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state's power load, has said it has enough resources available to meet demand. The extreme weather is a reminder of the 2021 February freeze in Texas that left millions without power, water and heat for days during a deadly storm as ERCOT scrambled to prevent a grid collapse after an unusually large amount of generation was shut.

AccuWeather forecast high temperatures in Houston, the biggest city in Texas, would hit 97 Fahrenheit (36.1 Celsius) on Monday before easing to 92 F on Wednesday. That compares with a normal high of 92 F for this time of year. After topping the June demand record on Friday at 73,879 MW and Saturday at 74,362 MW, ERCOT said usage rose to a preliminary 74,917 MW on Sunday, which broke the all-time high of 74,820 MW in August 2019.

On Monday, ERCOT forecast demand would reach 76,587 MW. One megawatt can power around 1,000 U.S. homes on a typical day, but only about 200 homes on a hot summer day in Texas.

Despite the record-setting demand, power prices at the ERCOT North Hub, which includes Dallas, fell from a four-week high of $141 per megawatt-hour on Friday to $100.00 on Monday. That compares with an average of $62 so far this year. ERCOT forecasts economic growth would boost peak demand to 77,317 MW this summer. The grid expects new wind and solar power plants added over the past year will increase resources available this summer to 91,392 MW.

 

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