Texas likely sets new power demand record during extreme heat
AUSTIN, Texas - Air conditioning units are working overtime in Texas this week as a heatwave envelopes the state.
What we know:
According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the agency charged with managing the bulk of the state’s power grid, demand hit an unofficial record high of 87,403 megawatts Wednesday.
The official record remains 85,508 megawatts set on Aug. 10, 2023, until verification of Wednesday’s reading.
Triple-digit heat, tropical storm to push Texas power grid to near record-high demand
The agency charged with managing the Texas power grid said it is preparing for both high heat and a possible tropical storm to put pressure on the system this week.
What they're saying:
"As the settlement process for the market is undertaken, the values for output from generators and imports over the ties are obtained from higher quality (more accurate) meters," ERCOT officials said in a statement. "The overall system demand is then calculated using the data from these more-accurate meters. These more-accurate values become our official hour system demands."
What's next:
The triple-digit temperatures seen in Texas this week are expected to continue for the bulk of the state through at least the weekend.
Cloudy and rainy weather from Tropical Storm Bertha could lower temperatures along the coast and central Texas as the storm moves inland.
The Source: Information in this story came from ERCOT and previous FOX Local reporting.