Electricity consumption records for a day in May could be broken in British Columbia in the coming days, as an intense heat wave sets in over Western Canada.
BC Hydro said if the weather forecast for Monday holds, peak hourly demand could reach 7,800 megawatt hours, about 1,300 more than the May average.
In a statement on Friday, the company said the province has never seen demand above 7,500 megawatt hours in May in its history.
Environment Canada is predicting temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees above normal for parts of British Columbia and Alberta over the next few days, with peak heat from Sunday to Tuesday reaching 20 at 30 degrees.
BC Hydro, however, has assured that its system will be able to meet the additional demand, which is only about two-thirds of what is usually experienced during the coldest days of the year.
During a cold spell last December, the highest peak hourly demand on record in the province reached 10,900 megawatt hours between 5 and 6 p.m. on any given day.
The highest demand recorded during the hottest months of the year was during the summer of 2021, when consumption reached 8568 megawatt hours.
Outages that were already scheduled for works have been canceled where possible to ensure customers have access to the electricity they need to keep cool.
Meanwhile, high flow advisories cover much of British Columbia. Rising temperatures also increase the risk of flooding due to melting snow in the mountains.
For its part, the Alberta government declared a provincial state of emergency last weekend in response to wildfires that have forced thousands of people from their homes.