Power Grid Reaches Record Demand Again

The dog-day heat wave has sent power demands to new records, the Austin American-Statesman reported. With much of the state enduring an excessive heat warning, power demand peaked at 85,559 megawatts last week, breaking a record set last August.

While searing outside temperatures certainly boost demand, other factors are in play as well — the state’s growing population and increased expansion by largescale industrial users such as data centers and cryptocurrency miners.

Texas is the only state that operates its own power grid. In June, the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas predicted the grid would face challenges this month and increased likelihood for emergency alerts during peak times of the day.

“Reserve shortage risks are the highest during the evening hours ... when daily loads are typically near their highest levels and solar production is ramping down,” the report from June says. While power throughout the state remained largely untouched, around 8,500 customers in Harris County last week experienced outages believed to be related to demand.

Centerpoint to Push Beryl Damage Costs to Ratepayers CenterPoint plans to pass costs for electricity infrastructure damages caused by Hurricane Beryl on to its customers. It plans to pass bonds that will ultimately be paid through rate increases, the Texas Standard reported. The company testified last week before the Public Utility Commission. In its latest quarterly report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company estimated recovery costs related to Beryl and an earlier May windstorm — a derecho — will approach $2 billion for both events. As is customary, ratepayers will be on the hook. “In my almost 35 years of experience in this utility business, the customers end up paying. They always end up paying,” said energy consultant Karl Rábago, who served on the PUC under Governors Ann Richards and George W. Bush.

“That’s because electricity is essential for modern life, and you can’t just go around bankrupting or allowing utilities to go bankrupt by forcing shareholders to bear what some people might say is the fair consequences of mismanagement.”