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Texas power demand to break June, July records in heat wave, grid operator says

The Texas powergrid operator projection electrical power usage will break the peak need record for June on Thursday before rising even higher and topping the July record next week as homes and services crank up air conditioners to leave a heat wave.

Extreme weather reminds consumers of the fatal freeze in February 2021 that left millions of Texans without power, water and heat for days and a brutal heat wave in August 2020 that forced the California power grid operator to enforce turning failures that impacted about 800,000 customers over 2 days.

The Electric Dependability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the majority of the power grid for 27 million consumers, stated the system was operating usually with adequate supply readily available to satisfy predicted demand over the next week.

High temperatures in Houston, the state's greatest city, will rise from 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) on Thursday to 99 F. on Monday, July 1, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

Despite the fact that is only a little over the city's typical. high of 93 F at this time of year, AccuWeather said it will feel. more like 108 F on Thursday and 110 F on July 1 when considering. humidity and other aspects.

After breaking peak-demand records numerous times in April. and May, ERCOT projected power need would rise from 78,947. megawatts (MW) on Wednesday to 81,027 megawatts (MW) on. Thursday, which would top the 80,787-MW record for June set in. 2023.

ERCOT forecast need would reach 83,111 MW on July 1, which. would break the 83,047-MW record for July embeded in 2023.

The grid's all-time peak was 85,508 MW on Aug. 10, 2023.

Analysts anticipate ERCOT electrical power usage will top that all-time. high this summertime due to financial and population development in Texas. and fast-rising demand for more power from information centers that run. expert system and cryptocurrency mining.

One megawatt can power 800 homes on a regular day but as couple of. as 250 on a hot summertime day in Texas.

Regardless of the heat, next-day power prices at the ERCOT North. Center << EL-PK-ERTN-SNL >, which includes Dallas, fell about 32 %to.$ 37 per megawatt hour for Thursday, down from a one-month high. of $55 for Wednesday, according to LSEG pricing data.

That compares to an average of $35 per MWh so far in June,. $ 59 in May, $31 so far this year, $80 in 2023 and $66 over the. prior five years

(source: Reuters)