Record U.S. Heat Expected to Boost Demand for Power, Natural Gas

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Searing temperatures are expected to break records across the U.S. this week, driving up demand for power and natural gas and prompting electrical grid operators to take steps to keep the lights on during peaking consumption.

The lower 48 states are expected to average 83.5 degrees Fahrenheit (28.6 Celsius) on Thursday and 83.9 F on Friday, which would surpass the daily record high of 83.0 F set on July 20, 2022, according to data from financial firm LSEG going back to 2018.

During that record two years ago, electricity use reached all-time high hourly level of 742,600 megawatts (MW), according to federal energy data going back to 2016, as homes and businesses turned up their air conditioners.

“Temperatures across much of the country are already at above normal values with the hottest conditions coming tomorrow for the central US, where demand levels will come close to, if not exceed, current seasonal peaks,” Wood Mackenzie said in an email.

Bracing for the expected spike in consumption, electric grid managers this week began issuing hot weather alerts to power companies in their networks.

PJM Interconnection, the nation’s biggest grid operator covering parts of 13 states from Illinois to New Jersey, asked members to take several measures, including to consider delaying planned maintenance of power equipment.

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The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which operates much of the grid from Minnesota to Louisiana, sent a note to on-demand generators to prepare to begin cranking out power if called upon. The Southwest Power Pool (SPP), grid operator for 14 states in the Midwest and West, also issued an advisory.

Wood Mackenzie expects MISO and SPP to break current demand peaks for the summer on Wednesday, with MISO at 117.6 gigawatts and SPP at 54.4 gigawatts. It said California’s grid could set a new summer high early next week.

Demand for natural gas used to produce more than 40% of U.S. electricity is expected to get a boost from rising power use.

Power generators are likely to use 55.0 bcfd of gas on Aug. 2, LSEG data showed, which would top the all-time high of 54.1 bcfd reached on July 9, when generators had to burn more gas due to a lack of wind power.

Wind power is on track to rise from 4% last week to around 11% this week.

(Reporting Laila Kearney and Scott DiSavino in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)