US power demand breaks peak records twice in July

Electricity demand across the Lower 48 states set new peak records twice in July, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Hot weather, combined with the underlying trend of demand increases, pushed coincident peak demand for the Lower 48 to a high of 758,053MW on July 28, between 6pm and 7pm eastern time, according to data from EIA’s Hourly Electric Grid Monitor.

The next day, peak demand set another record, reaching 759,180MW, 1.9% more than the record set on July 15, 2024 of 745,020MW.

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EIA projects US electricity demand to grow at an annual rate of just over 2% in 2025 and 2026, driven by the needs of artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers, manufacturing and greater electrification.

The agency said forecasted electricity demand growth is higher in areas with plans for large data centers and manufacturing facilities, such as in Texas and in Northern Virginia.

Originally published on Power Engineering Factor This.