A heat wave has sharply reduced a surplus of electricity in New England as people use more energy to cool down.
The operator of New England’s power grid reported high electricity demand and a tight supply yesterday, with expectations of a slightly tighter supply today in the six-state region.
Holyoke-based ISO New England Inc. expects to have adequate system capacity including a required power reserve on today, but the surplus will be much smaller than usual.
The company projects energy use to peak at about 27,000 megawatts today, up from nearly 26,000 yesterday. As temperatures cool, the surplus is expected to grow beginning tomorrow. The region’s all time peak power use was set Aug. 2, 2006, at 28,130 megawatts.