PJM issues hot weather alert on high temperatures, pushing up electric demand

摘要

PJM Interconnection issued a hot weather alert for July 3 with temperatures forecast as much as 6 degrees above seasonal norms pushing up demand more than 20% higher than in June. A hot weather alert is issued when temperatures are expected to exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity, driving up demand for electricity, according to PJM. A hot weather alert prepares transmission or generation facilities for the extreme heat or humid conditions, which may pose capacity issues for the grid. “To reliably serve demand, transmission and generation operators determine whether maintenance or testing may be deferred or canceled,” according to PJM. “PJM’s reserve resources are available to cover for generation that may be unexpectedly unavailable or to help meet demand that is higher than forecasted.” PJM forecast peakload at 135.160 GW for July 2 and 131.965 GW on July 3, the highest levels since September, according to PJM data. Early July peakload levels are averaging 24% above the June peakload. For comparison, July 2019 peakload averaged 131.936 GW. High temperatures across the PJM footprint are forecast to range from 87 F to 94 F, as much as six degrees above seasonal norms, according to CustomWeather. S&P Global Platts Analytics called for a PJM hot weather alert in its “North American Electricity Weekly Outlook – PJM” report issued June 29.