Mid-Week Update

Good Morning,

 

NOAA Forecast Images

Southern PV shows temps slightly below normal this week but will move to the other side of the spectrum by day 10.  The rest of the West should be consistently hot, especially NP moving north.

Precipitation Forecast

The Upper-Northwest is particularly dry, while the southwest, including SP, may get a reprieve from its typical dry summer.

Futures

Crude was up $0.20 yesterday, but most of that came late in the afternoon as the better part of the day showed flat prices.  Alternatively, gas was on a steady decline, finishing with a five-cent drop in all.

Gas Storage

Southern California gas storage dropped as low as 251,705 MCF on the 6th as heat battered the region.  Since then, storage has remained positive, albeit at levels lower than what we saw last week.

Mid-C Demand

Temps are heating up quickly in Portland where today’s high comes in eight degrees warmer than yesterday and is equal to nine degrees above normal.  Thursday will be even warmer at 92 and is currently projected at just a degree below the ten-year record.

Looks for Seattle to make a consistent foray into the 80s beginning next week and extending into the end of the month as just one day shows up with a high below 80 degrees.

Peak demand reached 20,326 on Monday but fell more than 600 MW yesterday.

NP 15 Demand

Monday’s average daily demand was the highest in the past two weeks as peak loads reached 17,868, an 1,800 MW increase week-on-week.

The next week shows a three degree drop in high temps for San Jose but a consistent above-normal forecast persists.  Sacramento shows potential for a return to triple digits by the 19th where the forecast predicts a high of 107.

SP-15 Demand

Demand remains well above last week’s levels in terms of both average daily demand and peak loads.  Monday’s peak finished 5,500 MW higher than the previous Monday as demand remains well elevated.

Burbank’s projected high of 93 puts the peak at 8 degrees above normal, and that is shown as the largest projected anomaly though the remainder of the 21-day forecast.  90’s should remain until the weekend, then settle into the 80 for most of next week.

PV Demand

Below normal temps are projected though the next seven days for Phoenix and are highlighted by the 14th’s high of 97, eight degrees below normal.  The cool-down is carried into the night as well where temps fall as low as 80 on the 15th.  PV AC units might be getting a breather at some point next week.

Looking north, Vegas won’t be participating in the cooler weather that we see in Phoenix.  Temps are consistently forecasted in the triple digits through the 18th.

Demand plummeted on Monday as temps did the same.  Average daily demand fell to 12,384 MW, up 300 MW week-on-week, but down 1,100 MW from Sunday.  Yesterday’s light-load hours were down close to 900 MW compared to Monday as the nights cool off and become slightly more bearable.

Gas Plant Noms

NP-15 gas noms rocketed to 975,000 MCF yesterday, a 160,000 MCF increase day-on-day, and a continuation of the jump that began on the 4th.  These levels haven’t been seen since last September.

Mid-C is on a similar path as well with noms reaching 763,000 MCF yesterday, a week-on-week increase of over 300,000 MCF.

Renewables

After spending most of last week above 3,000 MW, Mid-C has topped that mark just once this week (6th).  SP solar has had a more subdued week as well as the 8th set the high-water mark at 6,111 MW, down from 7,000+ all of last week.

ISO Gas Outages

ISO gas outages are holding steady at 912 MW; the same outage numbers since the 4th.

Hydro

Above Coulee Flows

Pend Oreille River has shed over 16,000 CFS week-on-week, while the Clark Fork is showing signs of its decline slowing down with a 6,000 CFS week-on-week decline.

Side-Flows

The Lower Snake remains as the only side flow that is remotely close to the average.

PNW Reservoirs

Grand Coulee topped out at 1,289.9 yesterday before coming off close to half a foot by the end of the day.  Hungry Horse and Libby continue to fill, on the other hand.

 

Transmission

BPA TTC

No changes to either line, once again.

 

 

Have a wonderful day,

 

William