Weather & Science
Texas Power Use Tops All-Time Record as Heat Bakes State
- Demand surpassed the record of 74.8 GW set in August 2019
- Record underscores the searing heat, rampant population growth
Resident sit in the shade with fans outside of a home in Houston, Texas, on June 10.
Photographer: Brandon Bell/Getty Images North AmericaThis article is for subscribers only.
Electricity use soared to an all-time high in Texas amid a searing heat wave, topping levels last seen before the coronavirus pandemic.
With air conditioners humming across the nation’s second most-populous state, demand on the power grid topped 74.9 gigawatts at 4:50 p.m. local time, surpassing a record set in August 2019, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which runs the system.