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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONSUMERS SET ELECTRICITY USE RECORDS IN PJM REGION
Electricity Use Up 16 Percent Over Last Year
(Valley Forge, Pa. – Aug. 11, 2010) – Consumers in the 13-state PJM Interconnection region have set new records for electricity consumption for June and July and have used 16 percent more electricity
so far this summer than last summer.
Preliminary figures show that overall electricity consumption for June 2010 was 63,898,387 megawatt-hours (MWh), surpassing the previous record for June of 63,236,074 MWh set in 2008. (That’s enough electricity to power Switzerland for a full year.) The electricity consumption for July
2010 was 71,761,819 MWh, surpassing the previous record for July of 70,404,227 MWh set in 2006.
“The higher electricity loads we’re seeing are definitely because of the weather,” said Michael Kormos, PJM senior vice president – Operations, noting the correlation between higher temperatures and higher use. “Fortunately, it’s in these hotter than average times when we see the
true strength of the coordination between PJM and our member companies who make it possible to meet demand and keep the grid stable.”
Since May 25, average temperatures in the region have been higher than they’ve been since 2006. So far this year, the peak demand for electricity in the PJM region was 136,680 megawatts (MW) on July 6. Peak demand is the greatest amount of electricity used during a single hour. (One megawatt
is enough electricity to serve 800 to 1,000 homes.) This peak amount was 14 percent higher than last year’s peak demand. The all-time record peak demand was 144,644 MW set on August 2, 2006.
Consumers did set a new record demand this year for a Saturday. On July 24, 2010, peak demand was reached at 128,452 MW, unusual for a weekend when energy use typically is lower because fewer businesses and industries operate. That broke the old record by more than 8,000 MW – enough power to run a major city.
PJM Interconnection, founded in 1927, ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving
51 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey,North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. PJM coordinates and directs the operation of the region’s transmission grid, which includes 6,038 substations and
56,500 miles of transmission lines; administers a competitive wholesale electricity market; and plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion. Visit PJM at
www.pjm.com.
