BPA prepares for Thanksgiving electricity bulge
The Bonneville Power Administration says it’s ready for the ups and downs of Thanksgiving.
According to the northwest wholesale power supplier, there is a significant bulge, or peak, on Thanksgiving mornings as millions of people begin cooking holiday turkeys in ovens or other appliances.
On a typical November weekday, BPA sees two demand peaks, one in the morning and one in the evening. The morning usage usually peaks around 7 or 8 a.m., but on Thanksgiving demand ramps up at 9 a.m.
Power consumption tends to stay higher throughout the morning, then stay low for the rest of the day. A normal day declines about mid-day.
“Most of the year, electricity usage follows typical seasonal patterns but severe weather and special events can always present different, even dramatically different, realities,” said Elliot Mainzer, BPA’s administrator and chief executive officer.
BPA and other northwest utilities will be watching to ensure that there is enough output from power plants to meet demand. System operators will also be on hand to ramp power down during the tryptophan drop-off after Thanksgiving dinner.
