Electric output of the USA grid hit an all-time high in the week of 28 June – 4 July, exceeding 100 000 GWh for the first time, according to new data released by the Edison Electric Institute, the association that represents all US investor-owned electric companies. Output reached 100 996 GWh, breaking the previous record of 99 445 GWh set in the week 17 July to 23 July 2022. In the past 12 months, output has totalled 4 346 875 GWh — up 2.3 % from the previous year.
The record 100 996 GWh is roughly 22 % above the average US weekly generation level. The record was set as a punishing heat ‘dome’ pushed triple-digit temperatures and heat indices as high as 115°F across much of the central and eastern United States, placing more than 200 million Americans under extreme heat alerts and driving air-conditioning use to seasonal highs.
Across the country, electric companies including Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, and FirstEnergy took proactive steps to prepare for the heat, working continuously to quickly restore power after storm-related and other outages. “Hitting 100,000 gigawatt-hours in a single week for the first time in history is a milestone — and a preview of what the grid of the future must be built to handle,” said EEI president and CEO Drew Maloney. “Meeting surging demand and ensuring the grid can withstand severe weather will require continued investment in America’s energy infrastructure.”
America’s electric companies are projected to invest $239 bn this year, and $1.4 trillion through to 2030, in strengthening transmission lines, advanced grid-enhancing technologies, new generation, and modernised distribution systems.
