Power grid operators across the Northeast, Midwest, Mid Atlantic and Ontario sent out power shortage warnings and calls for conservation again last Wednesday, as the early summer heat continued to bake the regions with 90-100 degree temperatures and high humidity, driving up power usage and prices.

Demand for electricity broke a record on the PJM Interconnection, rising to 62,200 by mid afternoon. Demand was expected to rise even further before the end of the day. Temperatures Wednesday hit 99 degrees in Washington, D.C. and rose to over 100 degrees in parts of New Jersey. The grid operator asked customers to voluntarily reduce loads during peak hours. PJM serves 25 million people in seven states and the District of Columbia.

At 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, PJM issued a request to purchase emergency energy for 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Mid Atlantic grid operator also issued a host of heavy load voltage and generation emergency warnings to market participants.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) activated its Peak Load Management (PLM) program to help reduce power use during peak demand hours, from 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. The action, which was done for the second consecutive day, cut electricity consumption in New York City by more than 50,000 kW. NYPA customers participating in the PLM program receive $40 for each kilowatt of electricity they commit to save during the high-demand summer months.

New York City’s demand reduction program is part of a statewide effort to reduce the demand for electricity. The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority, LIPA, and the State Public Service Commission, all are coordinating efforts to sustain the reliability of New York State’s electricity supplies during the peak demand periods caused by summer heat.

In addition to the more than 50,000 kW of demand reduction from NYPA’s New York City customers enrolled in the PLM program, NYPA can call on more than 360,000 kW of energy reductions under separate contract arrangements or though NYISO demand reduction programs.

On Tuesday, New York’s Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) said it had 5,200 MW of electricity available from all sources to meet the day’s peak demand of 4,800 MW. As temperatures rose again into the 90s again Wednesday with high humidity, LIPA requested that its customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens eliminate all non-essential electric use for the day.

“While we should have sufficient resources to meet today’s demand, LIPA continues to urge its customers to conserve electricity whenever possible,” said LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel. “Wise use of electricity helps to keep the lights on and the bills down.”

Meanwhile, Ontario’s Independent Electricity Market Operator (IMO) continued its call for conservation. Ontario narrowly avoid blackouts Tuesday, following an urgent request for power demand reductions. Demand on Tuesday was reduced by about 300 MW from a forecasted peak of 25,500 MW, which would have broken a demand record set last August.

Hourly power prices spiked to $471/MWh at 4 p.m. Tuesday, but fell back Wednesday to about $65 by noon, compared to an average of $32.44/MWh since May 1. The province has about 30,000 MW of native generation, but several outages have cut more than 3,600 MW of nuclear power and a significant amount of power is being imported, said spokesman Ted Gruetzner.

In the Midwest, ComEd continued to take precautionary steps Wednesday to prepare for heavy demand on its electric system. “We continue to monitor our substations and lines, and will do so throughout the week,” said Greg Dudkin, executive vice president of operations.

On Tuesday, ComEd experienced peak usage of 20,529 MW, slightly below Monday’s peak of 20,727 MW, the highest demand this year. ComEd anticipated peak usage of nearly 20,000 MW on Wednesday. The company’s current peak demand record is 21,574 MW set on August 9, 2001. ComEd said it has enough electricity under contract to meet demand and keep its customers cool this summer.

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