Blistering Heat Is Testing the Texas Power Grid for a Second Day

  • Temperatures over 100F are driving up air-conditioning use
  • Texas narrowly avoided imposing rolling blackouts Thursday

Triple-digit temperatures continue to drive up electricity consumption.

Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg
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A punishing heat wave will test power supplies in Texas for a second day as triple-digit temperatures continue to drive up electricity consumption.

The state’s grid operator expects to have almost 80 gigawatts of capacity available at about 8 p.m. local time, after solar farms start shutting off, based on hourly forecasts. Demand will be within about 1 gigawatt of that total. Five-minute forecasts show demand exceeding supply around that time, according to data from Nrgstream.