Scorching temps could help Midwest electrical grid set new record Monday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sweltering conditions across Kansas City and the Midwest over the last several days have left air conditioners sucking up power to keep buildings cool.

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Transmission of electricity for parts of the Midwestern power grid, including the Kansas City area, is managed by the Southwest Power Pool.

On Monday, July 20, that part of the grid, which SPP calls the east balancing authority area, set a new peak demand record of 56,785 megawatts, a 1 percent increase over the previous peak demand record set in August 2023.

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Officials said a new record was possible across the area on Monday, July 27.

On Sunday, SPP said it believes it will have “sufficient generation and transmission capacity to meet demand obligations throughout the period.”

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