People rest in the shade at the Great American State Fair, during an intense heat wave (AP Photo)
A severe heat wave sweeping the eastern United States pushed electricity demand to record levels on Friday, prompting the nation’s largest power grid operator to activate emergency measures to reduce consumption.PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest supplier that provides electricity to about 67 million people across parts of the East Coast, Midwest and Washington, D.C., ordered customers enrolled in emergency demand response programs to reduce energy use during the evening peak hours. This step came at a time when the network is suffering from generator outages, increased load on transmission lines, and high demand for air conditioning, Reuters reported.The operator said that the emergency measure aims to increase spare capacity and prevent power outages as demand for electricity rises. It also alerted neighboring grid operators, including those in New York and the Midwest, that power exports from the PJM grid could be reduced if necessary.The tension comes as about 160 million Americans remain under severe or extreme heat warnings over the July 4 weekend, with temperatures approaching or breaking records across much of the eastern United States, according to the National Weather Service.
On Thursday, electricity demand in PJM reached about 163 gigawatts, just below the all-time record of 165.6 gigawatts two decades ago. The operator has avoided power outages by relying on demand response programs, which compensate participating residential and industrial customers for reduced electricity use during emergencies, as well as costly backup power plants.A hot weather advisory remains in effect throughout the PJM region through Saturday and has been extended through Sunday for parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Dominion transmission regions, home to one of the largest data center concentrations in the world.The rise in demand also led to higher wholesale electricity prices. Spot power prices in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Dominion transmission regions rose to more than $2,500 per megawatt hour this week, compared to about $40 per megawatt hour under normal operating conditions.The heat wave disrupted Fourth of July celebrations across the country. In Washington, D.C., events on the National Mall were temporarily suspended after several people fell ill with heat-related illnesses, while the city’s Independence Day Parade scheduled for Saturday was canceled due to severe weather.New York City also expanded cooling centers and extended public pool hours as the heat index rose above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Utility company Con Edison said it restored power to about 60,000 customers after heat-related outages, though more than 22,000 users in the city and nearby suburbs remained without power Friday afternoon.