Electricity demand in New England surged this week as high temperatures persisted through much of the United States.
Demand in the electric grid territory of New England’s Independent System Operator peaked at 23,324 megawatts during the evening of June 20, approaching last year’s peak hourly demand in this region. The June 20 peak around 7:00 p.m. eastern time was 521 MW above the June 19 peak demand of 22,803 MW, around 6:00 p.m. ISO-NEData source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Wholesale Electricity Market Portal. Note: Data on demand by region lags total demand.
Peak electricity demand on both June 19 and 20 were a bit less than the 24,553 MW of peak hourly demand forecast in ISO-NE’s summer assessment issued on June 3, 2024. Hourly demand for electricity in ISO-NE for 2023 peaked at 24,043 MW. To meet the demand, utilities in New England burned more natural gas. Natural gas burned in the power sector in ISO-NE reached nearly 2.0 billion cubic feet on both June 19 and 20, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights, compared to about 1.
Other regions are also experiencing increased electricity demand. Electricity demand in the PJM Interconnection, which covers a large region from New Jersey to Illinois, peaked at 145,892 MW on June 20, about the same amount as demand on June 19. In its, where users can examine and access electricity markets data for the seven Regional Transmission Organizations and ISOs. The portal also includes information on power generation type, regional temperatures, and wholesale pricing.