Texas Electricity Demand Tops Record Sooner Than Expected

(Austin, TX) — Customer demand for electricity on the Texas power grid has already topped the projected summer peak, a month sooner than expected.

Peak demand hit an all-time high on Tuesday afternoon. In May, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas forecast that the summer’s net peak would happen on August 10th. But the heat wave in June and early July, together with rapid population growth in Texas, has led to huge demand for electricity.

ERCOT says demand could top 80-thousand megawatts on Monday. A spokesperson said that ERCOT doesn’t expect trouble meeting the demand.