Texas power use breaks record as heat wave hits southern states

Texas power usage hit a preliminary all-time high on Wednesday as sweltering heat continues to bake the state. 

Data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the Texas power grid operator, showed a measurement of a preliminary 81,112 megawatts. 

That measurement tops the grid’s previous record of 80,828 megawatts set on June 27.

Millions of people have been impacted by an oppressive heat wave over the last few weeks. The National Weather Service said Friday would feature some record heat in parts of the Southwest. 

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The agency said readings of up to 115 degrees are possible Friday for Texas and Louisiana.

It forecast that the threat would expand even more throughout the region on Saturday.

Excessive heat warnings and advisories have been issued from the West Coast to Florida, resulting in more than 93 million Americans being placed under one of these two heat-related hazards.

ERCOT officials previously told the Dallas Morning News that “ERCOT expects sufficient generation to meet forecasted demand.”

The agency predicted in May that demand would peak at 82,739 megawatts this summer and said it expected the grid would be ready to meet that mark, “assuming that the ERCOT Region experiences typical summer grid conditions.”

Last month, ERCOT asked Texans to conserve electricity, issuing a voluntary conservation notice. 

“ERCOT is not experiencing emergency conditions. Voluntary conservation is a widely used industry tool that can help lower demand for a specific period of peak demand time, which is typically late afternoon into the evening hours,” it said.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.