BC Hydro saw record-high electricity demand on Friday night amid extremely cold temperatures across the province.
Officials with the power company said demand reached 11,300 megawatts as an arctic ridge swept across B.C.
BC Hydro said the weather did not strain the electrical grid, and the company even had power to spare.
“B.C. did not require imports from the market and also had enough generating capacity to provide support to its neighbours in Alberta and the Pacific Northwest who were experiencing demand and system challenges,” said BC Hydro officials. “This includes about 200 megawatts exported to Alberta following an electrical grid alert from the Alberta Electrical Systems Operator.”
“Extreme weather events like drought and cold snaps are putting people and communities at increased risk,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. “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.”
BC Hydro said the previous record high was 10,977 megawatts, which was set in December 2022.
“Friday night’s consumption was more than 30 per cent higher than the previous Friday night before the cold snap began, and Saturday night’s peak hourly load remained high at nearly 11,000 megawatts,” said BC Hydro officials.
Despite the impact that a historic drought in 2023 had on reservoirs, BC Hydro officials said the company has been preparing to manage high-demand situations.
“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 Chris O’Riley, BC Hydro President and CEO. “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.”
The power company expects demand to remain higher than average through the cold spell, but not at record-breaking levels.