The province’s energy operator is asking Albertans to pitch in and pull a few plugs to help reduce the stress on the electric system.
The warmer weather has increased demand for electricity over the last week and on Tuesday the province used a new summer peak of 10,413 MW by 5:00 p.m.
The Alberta Electric System Operator, AESO, is asking Albertans to voluntarily reduce their electricity use.
“At this point we are not looking at shedding load we’re just asking that people be conscious of their energy use and try to limit use of major appliances and try an limit their electricity as much as they can,” said Angela Anderson with AESO.
AESO says the system is operating at near full capacity due to the hot weather, low wind and generators being offline.
“We have many generators in our province so currently there are two bigger cold plants offline so that can happen at any time for unplanned maintenance or planned outages, that kind of thing, but currently we have two and that coupled with really low wind and the extreme heat is what’s leading us to keep a close eye on the grid,” said Anderson.
Tips to reduce electricity usage:
- Turn off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances
- Minimizing the use of air conditioning by closing blinds, shades or drapes during the hottest part of the day
- Avoiding the use of major power-consuming equipment such as dishwashers and washers and dryers during the energy conservation period
Anderson says power usage usually peaks in the late afternoon between 4 and 7 p.m.
To see the current supply demand, click HERE.
