With hot and dry weather dominating our region over the last month, we continue to see record-setting demand for energy services.
Despite these challenges, and thanks to your conservation efforts and the hard work of employees, our electric grid and generation resources met customer needs, without significant service disruptions.
On Tuesday, July 30, we set a new all-time electric peak demand record of 1,011 megawatts (MW), which eclipsed the previous record of 1,001 MW that was just set on July 12, 2024.
To put this level of demand in context, the pre-2024 record was 989 MW set on July 28, 2021. Yet, we beat that 2021 mark three times during the last week of July 2024 alone – 1,011 MW on July 30, 996 MW on July 31 and 993 MW on Aug. 1.
From a financial perspective, our involvement in regional resource sharing networks like the Southwest Power Pool enable us to manage congested transmission line capacity due to regional demand, ensure service reliability and offset customer costs through resource sales.
For the electric system to perform reliably during periods of high demand, it takes year-round planning from employees across the organization. This includes our Fuels and Purchase Power and Transmission System Operator Teams, who manage our system needs, generation resources and market conditions 24/7 based on forecasted demand – often months in advance.
As noted in a November 2023 blog post, our plant operators perform critical maintenance on our electric generation plants during off-peak time periods – such as fall and early spring – to ensure these plants perform optimally when they are needed the most, like this past weekend.
Planners continuously assess our energy mix to ensure it is adaptable and can meet customer demand and statewide emissions requirements. Although coal-based electric generation is no longer compatible with state regulations, we continue to make investments in natural gas and other technologies to ensure we have a reliable and cost-effective bridge to incorporating more renewable energy into our resource mix.
No matter the efforts above, our relationship with you is critical. By using energy wisely through programs like Peak Energy Rewards, you provide a big assist to our ability to avoid system interruptions and manage our resources as efficiently as possible.
For example, Peak Energy Rewards participants helped us reduce peak demand by approximately 13 megawatts on Monday, July 29, and Tuesday, July 30.
Peak Energy Rewards works by adjusting enrolled customers’ thermostats by no more than four degrees when a peak energy event is called. The program is voluntary and participating customers can opt out of a peak energy event at any time from a mobile device, web browser or thermostat.
As outlined in previous blogs, the energy industry around the state and country is undergoing significant change – from regulations and technology to rising customer costs and how we use energy in our homes and businesses.
For us to navigate the challenging path ahead, a collaborative relationship with you – our customers – will be more important than ever before.