With an Arctic cold front rolling through the southern part of its footprint Tuesday morning, SPP set a new winter demand peak of 42.71 GW. The previous mark of 41.01 GW — set Jan. 2 — lasted only two weeks.
The new record came at 7:24 a.m., and wind energy met just over 8 GW of the demand. Energy prices peaked at 11 a.m., with hubs averaging $496.67/MWh in the north and $478.49/MWh in the south.
ERCOT, which manages 90% of the Texas grid, expected to set its third demand record this winter during either the night of Jan. 16 or the morning of Jan. 17. The state has been hit with its second round of snow and ice this year, ranging from San Antonio to Houston.
The ISO’s current winter peak is 62.86 GW, set Jan. 3. That broke the short-lived record of 61.95 GW, set the day before.
Spokesperson Leslie Sopko said ERCOT has sufficient generation and transmission resources to keep up with forecasted demand.
“However, this is a fluid situation, and we will continue to monitor system conditions closely,” Sopko said.
The National Weather Service predicted Houston area overnight temperatures would fall into the teens to lower 20s F, with wind chill values possibly dipping into the single digits.
— Tom Kleckner
