Douglas County PUD Not Worried About Service Amid the Heat

Douglas County PUD said Tuesday that the utility will not come close to requiring any changes in service due to the ongoing heatwave.

Before the recent heatwave began, the highest peak summer load was 169 megawatts in August of 2019. The record was then broken on three consecutive days this week with 179 megawatts Sunday, 183 Monday, and 192 Tuesday.

PIO Meaghan Vibbert said, "So we have surpassed our previous summer peak this year. If you put it in perspective, we're typically a winter-peaking utility and climate. In February of 2019, we had 239 megawatts. So still plenty of capacity there to serve our Douglas County customers."

Vibbert added that their power lines will stretch and sag more in the heat, but those systems are designed to do that.