August-like weather that one weatherman called “categorically insane” has settled over Texas, leading to ERCOT calling on generators to postpone planned outages or return to service in advance of the heat.

Peak demand hit 70.6 GW late Monday afternoon, breaking Sunday’s short-lived record of 67.5 GW, as well as the previous peak demand mark for June. The previous high for May was set in 2018.

ERCOT’s all-time record for peak demand is 74.8 GW, set in August 2019. The Texas grid operator said last week that it expected to have sufficient generation to meet the above-normal demand from “unseasonably” hot weather.

The problem is that about 15 to 20 GW of thermal generation, approximately a third of the fleet, has been offline in recent days during what is normally maintenance outage season. Generators have until May 15 to complete their outages. Renewables have helped pick up the slack, providing nearly 30 GW of energy, or close to 45% of total generation.

ERCOT said in an emailed statement that it is “coordinating closely” with the Public Utility Commission, generation owners and transmission utilities to ensure “they are prepared for the extreme heat.”

“ERCOT will deploy all the tools available to us to manage the grid reliably,” a spokesperson said. “At this time, ERCOT projects there will be sufficient generation to meet this high demand for electricity.”

As demand approached another record peak for May on Monday, ERCOT had plenty of capacity in reserve. | ERCOT

The grid operator on May 3 issued an operating condition notice (OCN), its lowest-level communication in anticipation of a possible emergency condition. On Friday, ERCOT extended the OCN until Thursday because of forecasted temperatures above 94 degrees Fahrenheit in its North Central and South Central zones.

The National Weather Service said heat and humidity will result in heat indexes in the low 100s in the Houston area. Highs in the state are expected to stay in the 90s through the rest of the week.

Prices briefly hit $2,183 in the Houston area early Monday afternoon. At the same time, prices were as low as -$849 in nearby Calhoun County, where renewable generation was trapped behind transmission constraints.

ERCOT and the PUC have yet to issue press releases or use social media to urge conservation or warn about the unseasonable heat; nor has Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who continues to focus his Twitter account on Operation Lone Star, his costly effort that he says is securing the southern border with Mexico.

However, the Texas Division of Energy Management tweeted about the excessive heat, urging Texans to “spend time in air conditioning.”

Stoic Energy President Doug Lewin attributed the high demand to a combination of extreme heat, poor energy efficiency and population growth: Texas’ 15.9% population growth rate between 2010 and 2020 was more than double the U.S.’ and will help the state hit 30 million residents this year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Texas gets 80% less energy reduction from efficiency than the ‘average’ state,” Lewin said. “This particularly hurts us in extreme temperatures.”