Frigid weather sees Alberta break power demand record

A new all-time record for power demand was set for the province this week as Albertans hunkered down against the frigid temperatures delivered by the polar vortex.

Alberta's Electric System Operator (AESO) says demand hit 11,729 megawatts on Tuesday night.

"That's 31 megawatts higher than our previous record that we set last winter," said AESO communications director, Mike Deising.

"And to put that into context, that's equivalent to about 25,000 extra homes of power that need to be supplied."

Deising says the two main factors are that furnaces are working harder to warm up homes and people are turning on more lights.

"Right now we do have enough supply of generation in the province to get us through this cold snap. But obviously, that's something we watch very closely every minute of every day," he said.

Deising says Albertans can help by trying not to use any extra appliances between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

All of Alberta remains under an extreme cold warning issued by Environment Canada. The agency says wind chill values between –40 and –55 will continue.

"This prolonged cold snap will persist into the weekend for most of Alberta," Environment Canada said.

In Calgary, temperatures are forecast to rise gradually beginning Sunday with a high of –13 C and then up to –3 by next Wednesday.