BC Hydro says cold snap caused record-breaking electricity demand

Electricity demand soars during cold snap Dangerously cold temperatures like the ones recorded in B.C. over recent days are a test of the province's power grid.

The record-breaking cold temperatures across B.C. led to record-breaking demand for electricity in the province, according to BC Hydro.

The utility said the peak hourly electric demand climbed to 11,300 megawatts on Friday night, beating the province’s previous record of 10,977 megawatts set in December 2022.

Electricity usage on Jan. 12 was over 30 per cent higher than the previous Friday night, before an Arctic airflow arrived over B.C. and sent temperatures plummeting.

“B.C. is fortunate to have an integrated, provincial hydroelectric system that allows BC Hydro to ramp up quickly when generation is needed and scale back when it is not,” said president and CEO Chris O’Riley in a Sunday news release.

“Our teams carefully plan and prepare for cold weather events like this to ensure our generating facilities are running at full capacity so we can deliver clean electricity to our customers when they need it the most,” he continued.

BC Hydro noted that there was enough power to go around in B.C., with room to spare to give to neighbouring jurisdictions. The Crown corporation exported electricity to Alberta and the U.S. as rising demand put pressure on their grids.

B.C. sent 200 megawatts to Alberta after the Alberta Electrical Systems Operator issued a grid alert. Albertans were asked to reduce electricity use over the weekend to avoid the possibility of rotating power outages—when the mercury was well below -40 C at night in some areas.

“Extreme weather events like drought and cold snaps are putting people and communities at increased risk,” said Energy Minister Josie Osborne in the release.

“Thanks to the resiliency of our energy system and exceptional planning by BC Hydro, we are able to meet the needs of British Columbians while also delivering clean, reliable hydro-electricity to our neighbours in Alberta when they needed it most,” she continued.

BC Hydro said electricity demand stayed high on Saturday, with the peak hourly demand reaching almost 11,000 megawatts. The Crown corporation predicts usage will remain higher than average over the next few days, but is not expecting any more records to be broken.