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Relentless Heat Set to Raise Texas Power Demand to All-Time High

Relentless Heat Set to Raise Texas Power Demand to All-Time High

(Bloomberg) -- A relentless combination of heat and humidity is expected to drive Texas’s electricity demand to a record this afternoon.

The state’s grid operator is projecting that power use will hit an all-time high of 73,743 megawatts later on Thursday as people blast their air conditioners. Dallas is forecast to reach 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius) after four straight days of temperatures above 90. High humidity will make the air feel like 110 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Relentless Heat Set to Raise Texas Power Demand to All-Time High

Demand is set to exceed a record set in July 2018, when Dallas broke a 93-year heat record and electricity prices surged past $1,500 a megawatt-hour. The summer temperatures may offer some relief to the region’s power generators, who depend on summer spikes to make up for low prices during other times of the year. Wholesale electricity at a hub covering Dallas surpassed $2,000 a megawatt-hour on Monday and hovered above $900 in the hour ended 4 p.m. local time. Demand typically peaks around that time.

The weather service has issued a heat advisory through Friday.

Relentless Heat Set to Raise Texas Power Demand to All-Time High

To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Martin in New York at cmartin11@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6@bloomberg.net, Pratish Narayanan

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