Texas experienced a record-breaking daily power consumption in May due to an ongoing heat wave.
Texas Hits Record-Breaking Daily Power Consumption
According to Reuters, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) reported that power usage surged to 73,756 megawatts (MW) on Sunday, setting a new peak for the month. This increase in demand marked the fourth record-setting day in May, with the previous high of 73,749 MW set on Saturday.
The intense heat has driven residents and businesses to use more air conditioning, increasing the public's power consumption. ERCOT, which manages the power grid for around 27 million Texans, anticipates that demand will continue to climb throughout the summer.
Experts Blames Economic and Population Growth
Experts attributed this rise in electricity consumption to economic growth, a growing population, and increasing demand for power from data centers, AI, and cryptocurrency mining operations. The highest recorded power demand on the ERCOT grid was 85,508 MW on August 10, 2023.
Despite the spike in usage, ERCOT announced on Friday that the grid was functioning normally and had sufficient supply to meet the anticipated demand for the week.
However, this surge in consumption has led to higher electricity prices. The cost of day-ahead power for one hour on Sunday evening rose to $1,518 per megawatt-hour (MWh), compared to $42.19 per MWh for the same hour on Saturday.
High temperatures have repeatedly pushed power consumption to new daily records this month. ERCOT predicted that the demand would set another record on Memorial Day, with a peak predicted above 76,500 MW.
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