Texas power usage sets another winter record

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Electricity usage in Texas rose Friday as arctic air covered most of the state, hitting another winter power record after setting one just the night before, according to initial data from the state grid operator.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said power use as of 8 a.m. CST (9 a.m. EST) reached 55,856 megawatts, surpassing the winter peak set Thursday evening of 52,001 MW and the previous record of 50,408 MW in February 2007.

ERCOT reported no major power problems.

Temperatures across Texas are running about 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal, according to DTN Meteorlogix.

Power demand is expected to remain above 50,000 MW for several hours Friday morning and again Friday evening, according to ERCOT's daily forecast. The high temperatures for many cities will not rise above 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius), it predicted.

The current cold snap, expected to linger into the weekend, is the longest in the Lone Star State since 1990, according to National Weather Service officials.

Forecasts call for temperatures to drop into the teens Friday night but weekend power demand will slide as businesses close, paring demand for heating, according to ERCOT projections.

The new record far exceeds ERCOT's peak-hour winter projection of 43,463 MW. That forecast, 9 percent below the year-earlier actual peak, was based on lower industrial activity due to the recession and normal weather patterns, ERCOT said.

Texans typically use more electricity in the summer to operate air conditioners to keep cool when temperatures and humidity soar. The all-time hourly electric consumption record in Texas is 63,454 MW set in July 2009.

(Reporting by Eileen O'Grady; Editing by John Picinich)