Arizona’s two largest utilities APS and SRP say they saw record-breaking demands for energy late last week.
The utilities inched closer to the capacity they initially planned for the summer.
APS delivered over 9,063 megawatts last Friday and SRP reported a peak load of 9,072 megawatts, as temperatures hit 117 degrees. That's about 90% of the planned power capacity they reported to the state’s utility regulator in April.
The jump in demand was between 400 and 500 megawatts from last year’s record. That’s enough to power between 65,000 and 110,000 homes.
Although the utilities neared planned capacity, they are able to tap into the regional grid and pull power from other states like California to prevent outages.
With the growing demand, APS says it is adding to its power reserves. It’s possible the energy records could be broken again this year depending on weather.
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