Record Power Use Reported Due to Heat Wave

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July 21, 2022

By News Director Jared Atha

Record-breaking temperatures on Tuesday also led to power-demand records in power grids that control electricity in Oklahoma, Texas and other states.

Air conditioners were running full-force this week and it could mean more power-demand records could continue to fall this week.

Oklahoma is one of 17 states in the Southwest Power Pool which reported record power use. Officials with SPP, operator of the grid for nearly 18 million people said power use hit 53,121 MW on Tuesday, an amount that broke the record of 52,028 MW on Monday.

ERCOT, which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state’s power load, said demand was on track to break records for a third day in a row on Wednesday.

Usage in ERCOT hit a preliminary 79,039 megawatts (MW) on Monday, 79,621 MW on Tuesday and was expected to reach 81,247 MW on Wednesday.

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