The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) - the provincial transmission system that provides electricity throughout the province – called on Rocky View County residents to conserve energy on July 30.
Temperature throughout the county remained in the high-20°C and low-30°C range from July 28 to July 31.
As of press time, Environment Canada continued to call for high temperatures – ranging in the mid 30s – until Aug. 6.
“With high temperatures in Alberta this week, it’s important that Albertans all pitch in to help conserve energy,” said Angela Anderson, external relations advisor for AESO.
“July 30 was really hot across the province, the wind was low and two coal plants were offline so the grid was running at full capacity.”
Anderson said the two plant were offline due to “unscheduled maintenance” but were fixed by TransAlta by the end of the day on July 30.
While there were stresses to the system, Anderson explained that rolling black outs would not be initiated in the near future.
“We don’t feel we’re at risk at this point, but we will continue to watch,” she said.
Rolling blackouts would be initiated to help the grid conserve energy due to high demand, and are generally implemented at non-peak times.
The AESO recommends: turning off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances; minimizing the use of air conditioning; closing blinds, shades or drapes during the hottest part of the day; and running major appliances - washer, dryer, dishwasher - during off-peak hours after 7 p.m.
According to AESO, a summer record for electricity demand was reached at 4 p.m. on July 30: the new summer peak is 10,419 mega watts (MW), an increase of three-and-a-half per cent over last year.
Last year’s high for usage was 10,063 MW
For more information follow AESO’s updates at poweringalberta.com
