During A Heat Wave, Texas Electricity Consumption Reaches A New Monthly High

Tuesday marked a new monthly record for electricity use in Texas, which will likely be surpassed on Wednesday as people continue to crank up their air conditioners to escape the spring heat.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid for the majority of the state, said on Wednesday morning that conditions were normal.

At the beginning of the current heat wave, however, ERCOT was compelled to encourage consumers to save energy on May 13 due to the unexpected shutdown of numerous power units, which caused real-time prices to soar to almost $4,000 per megawatt hour (MWh).

Extreme weather reminds Texans of the February 2021 freeze that left millions without electricity, water, and heat for days during a fatal storm, as ERCOT scrambled to keep the grid from collapsing after an unusually large amount of generation was shut down.

Wednesday through Saturday, maximum temperatures in Houston, the largest city in Texas, are expected to remain in the low to mid 90s Fahrenheit (33.9 Celsius). During this time of year, the average high temperature in the city is 87 degrees.

ERCOT said that demand peaked on Tuesday at 70,804 megawatts (MW) and will increase to 71,505 MW on Wednesday.

Tuesday's peak exceeded the previous record of 70,703 MW for the month of May, which was established on May 9, although it was still significantly below the all-time high of 74,820 MW set in August 2019.

One megawatt can power around 1,000 households per day in the United States, but just 200 dwellings per day in Texas during the summer months.

This summer, ERCOT anticipates ongoing economic expansion will increase peak demand to 77,317 MW. In order to meet this demand, the system anticipates having around 91,392 MW of available power resources this summer.

Wednesday's next-day pricing at the ERCOT North hub, which includes Dallas, climbed from Tuesday's $79 per MWh to Wednesday's $98 per MWh.