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Record US heat expected to increase need for power, natural gas

Burning temperature levels are expected to break records throughout the U.S. this week, increasing demand for power and gas and triggering electrical grid operators to take steps to keep the lights on throughout peaking usage.

The lower 48 states are expected to average 83.5 degrees Fahrenheit (28.6 Celsius) on Thursday and 83.9 F on Friday, which would surpass the daily record high of 83.0 F set on July 20, 2022, according to information from financial company LSEG going back to 2018.

Throughout that record two years ago, electrical energy usage reached all-time high hourly level of 742,600 megawatts (MW), according to federal energy information going back to 2016, as homes and businesses turned up their a/c unit.

Temperature levels throughout much of the nation are already at above regular values with the most popular conditions coming tomorrow for the main US, where demand levels will come close to, if not go beyond, existing seasonal peaks, Wood Mackenzie said in an email.

Bracing for the expected spike in intake, electrical grid supervisors today began providing hot weather alerts to power business in their networks.

PJM Affiliation, the country's greatest grid operator covering parts of 13 states from Illinois to New Jersey, asked members to take numerous measures, including to consider delaying prepared maintenance of power equipment.

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which runs much of the grid from Minnesota to Louisiana, sent a. note to on-demand generators to prepare to begin cranking out. power if hired. The Southwest Power Pool (SPP), grid. operator for 14 states in the Midwest and West, also released an. advisory.

Wood Mackenzie expects MISO and SPP to break present need. peaks for the summertime on Wednesday, with MISO at 117.6 gigawatts. and SPP at 54.4 gigawatts. It stated California's grid could set a. new summer season high early next week.

Need for gas used to produce more than 40% of U.S. electrical power is anticipated to get an increase from rising power use.

Power generators are likely to use 55.0 bcfd of gas on Aug. 2, LSEG information showed, which would top the all-time high of 54.1. bcfd reached on July 9, when generators had to burn more gas due. to a lack of wind power.

Wind power is on track to rise from 4% last week to around. 11% this week.

(source: Reuters)