August Electric Demand and Wholesale Prices Hit Record High - Rolling Blackouts In California, Total Generation Down

EIA has released the October 2020 Electricity Monthly Update with data for August 2020. The following are some highlights:

Daily peak electricity demand hit 12-month highs in both California and Texas in August 2020. California experienced rolling blackouts during August for the first time since 2001.

Wholesale electricity prices hit 12-month highs in the Northwest, Southwest, and California as the western United States experienced an extreme heat wave.

Total U.S. coal stockpiles had a month-over-month decrease of 6%, reaching 130 million tons in August 2020.

The report also includes a feature article about how operating heat rates of natural gas-fired combined-cycle power blocks are declining.

For more information, see the full Electricity Monthly Update report.

EIA has released the October 2020 Electric Power Monthly with data for August 2020. The following are some highlights:

Net generation in the United States fell 0.4% from the August 2019 level.

Consumption of natural gas for power generation was down 0.1% compared with August 2019.

The average residential retail price of electricity for August 2020 was up 0.1% from the August 2019 level.

For more information, see the full Electric Power Monthly report.