Texas power demand to hit record highs again as heat bakes state

(Reuters) - Texas' power grid operator projected electricity use would break records again this week as homes and business crank up their air conditioners to cope with another brutal summer heatwave. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state's power load, has said it has enough resources available to meet soaring demand. One megawatt can power around 1,000 U.S. homes on a typical day, but only about 200 homes on a hot summer day in Texas. Meteorologists at AccuWeather forecast high temperatures in Houston, the biggest city in Texas, would hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) on Tuesday and July 15-17. While day-ahead power prices for Tuesday remained below $100 per megawatt hour (MWh), real-time prices topped $3,400 for a couple of 15-minute intervals late Monday, according to the ERCOT website.