New power record set in Sask. due to increased demand, cold weather
CBC News | Posted: January 14, 2017 8:56 PM | Last Updated: January 14, 2017
Province sets new record for power use, ties record for natural gas use
The end of the cold snap that hit southern Saskatchewan this week led to a new record in the province.
For the third time in a month, Saskatchewan broke its record for power use.
The latest record was set at 5:51 p.m. CST Friday with 3,747 megawatts (MW) used. The previous record, set on Dec. 16, was 3,726 MW.
According to a release from SaskPower, the record has increased by 37 MW in the past month — enough to power 37,000 homes.
Another record tied
The province also tied its record for natural gas use.
From 9 a.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Friday, Saskatchewan consumed 1.33 PetaJoules (PJ) of natural gas. The same record was set on Dec. 16.
A PetaJoule is equal to one million GigaJoules (GJ). The average home in Saskatchewan uses 102 GJ of natural gas every year.
Both providers say increased demand and customer numbers have contributed to the records. Though SaskPower noted that it is unusual to see peak load records set several times in a month.