Record-breaking temperatures are also causing record-breaking demand for power in the state.
Salt River Project delivered a record amount of energy to its Phoenix-area retail customers on Monday.
Between 5 and 6 p.m., SRP cranked out nearly 7,000 megawatts of power, breaking the all-time mark by the utility set on the same day last year.
That daily record could be surpassed today as record temperatures continue around the Valley. While the increased demand stretches the limits of the power grid, SRP spokeswoman Patty Garcia-Likens says they’ve preparing for these days all year long.
“We look at this a milestone. Obviously this is the hottest time of the year and at SRP what we do is plan accordingly throughout the year, and our goal of the demand is hot summer months just like right now," she said.
SRP is the Phoenix area’s largest electricity provider with more than 1 million customers.
The state’s largest utility, APS recorded its highest usage of the year on Monday but fell short of its all-time high demand set in 2006.
