BC Hydro expects World Cup and hot weather to trigger record spring power consumption

BC Hydro says the province’s spring power demand is expected to hit historic highs due to both the arrival of warm weather and consumption linked to the FIFA World Cup.

The province’s electric utility says in a statement that British Columbia could see power usage near the all-time summer record of 8,652 megawatts, set last August.

BC Hydro says consumption is expected to surge Friday with the arrival of hot weather and potentially rise further due to World Cup activity, as Vancouver hosts its match of the tournament between Australia and Turkey on Saturday.

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It says demand is expected to peak around 8,500 megawatts on Monday.

The utility says consumption may surpass forecasts if temperatures are warmer than expected, as demand is boosted by World Cup watch parties and related commercial usage.

Despite the expected spike in demand, BC Hydro says it’s “well prepared” for the situation, with usage remaining “well below” peak winter levels.

But some maintenance work in the Vancouver area may be limited during the World Cup period up to July 19 due to equipment serving FIFA venues, transit and airport facilities.