Extremely cold temperatures across the province drove up peak hourly electricity usage.
BC Hydro said on Friday night a record high level was set when it reached 11,300 megawatts, 30 percent higher than the previous Friday before the cold snap began.
The previous record was 10,977 megawatts set in December 2022
On Saturday night BC Hydro noted the peak hourly load remained high at nearly 11,000 megawatts and with the cold snap expected to last a couple more days demand will remain higher-than-average but will not be at record-breaking levels.
Despite the record-breaking demand, BC didn’t require imports from the market and had enough generating capacity to provide support to Alberta and Pacific Northwest who experiencing demand and system challenges.
BC Hydro said that included about 200 megawatts exported to Alberta following an electrical grid alert from the Alberta Electrical Systems Operator.
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