Grid Operators Brace for Record Demand as Heat Wave Grips Southwest

Regional grid operators issued conservation appeals Thursday as a prolonged heat wave pushed electricity demand toward record levels across the Southwest. Utilities said reserve margins remain adequate for now, but back-to-back triple-digit days have kept generation and transmission systems running near capacity.

Operators activated demand-response programs that pay large commercial customers to reduce consumption during peak afternoon hours, a measure credited with averting rolling blackouts during a similar heat event last year. Residential customers were asked to limit air conditioner use and delay major appliance runs until evening.

Forecasters expect the heat wave to persist through the weekend before a modest cooldown early next week. Grid officials said no outages have been reported so far, though isolated equipment failures remain possible under sustained high loads.