The state's largest electrical grid reports a new all-time record hourly demand for electricity usage Thursday afternoon.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas operates that grid, which covers most of the state. An ERCOT reading at 5 p.m. reported a new record of 71,197 megawatts.
That breaks the previous record, set on Wednesday afternoon. The previous highest readings before this week were set last August, and the next highest readings were set in the summer of 2011.
One megawatt is about enough electricity to power about 200 homes during hot weather running air conditioners.
"We're pleased that the system continues to perform well as the need for air conditioning drives up demand," Dan Woodfin, ERCOT's director of system operations, said in a news release. "These hot summer days always put our grid to the test, and we have had sufficient generation available to carry us through these high-demand periods."
