Heat impacts electrical grids. Here’s how El Paso’s massive heat wave is impacting infrastructure

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Many types of severe weather can have an impact on electrical grids, and heat is no exception.

High temperatures cause people to crank up the A/C, and additional usage and added wear and tear to the equipment caused by the heat itself can damage the electric grid.

"I know peak usage, it's really growing. We're really monitoring the duration of this heat wave. You know it's not common to see durations of a heat wave for this long and the longer it goes the more strain it puts on our equipment," said Omar Gallegos with El Paso Electric.

Since heat is the single most deadly weather-related cause of death, Borderland residents often have no choice but to use their A/C. All of these factors create a perfect storm which, if electric companies are not careful, can cause massive grid failures.

Peak usage is up about 100 megawatts from 2,200 megawatts last year.

"So it's 100-megawatt growth over last year. So that is the highest we've ever seen," said Gallegos.

For context, 100 megawatts can power up to 8,000 homes.

Even though the usage this year has set a new record El Paso Electric says they were prepared for it. El Paso Electric is maximizing every resource they have amid the heat wave El Paso is enduring. They don't foresee any issues and believe everything is working smoothly to withstand the heat wave.

But in extreme cases, power could be cut from customers to maintain the reliability of the grid to make sure that we don't lose the grid.

"That's the last resort to maintain the grid to be available. And then what we would do is, you know, we prepare for this with procedures and training where we would cut off specific feeders and we rotate. So we would turn off one feeder for about 20 minutes or 30 minutes and then turn it back on and turn a different one," said Gallegos.

El Paso Electric believes they have sufficient energy to meet the growing demand throughout the long-duration heat wave but they encourage customers to do their part by signing up for EP Electric's Energy efficiency program. They also recommend customers leave their thermostats at abut 77 to 78 degrees during peak hours.

So far this summer, the only major reports of power outages that ABC-7 has received have been caused by heavy rain, not heat. El Paso Electric says it is used to the heat, as El Paso often receives triple-digit temperatures. That means the company has prepared for months, getting the grid ready to handle the heat even before its starts.

Still, the job is never done, and it takes a lot of work to keep the grid in good shape throughout the summer. ABC-7 is speaking with El Paso Electric today, discussing the ways it keeps ahead of the problem. Watch ABC-7 at 4, 5, 6, and 10 tonight to learn more.