Texas power use breaks record as heat wave hits southern states
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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.
Transmission towers are seen near the Austin Energy/Sand Hill Energy Center on June 20, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Extreme temperatures across the state have prompted the National Weather Service to issue excessive heat warnings and heat advisories that ((Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Power lines out of the Handley Generating Station along Rosedale Street in Fort Worth, Texas. ((Yffy Yossifor/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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.
People gather at Barton Springs Pool on June 21, 2023, in Austin, Texas. ((Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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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.
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"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.