PHOENIX — Arizona's power grid should weather the record-breaking heat expected this weekend without major disruption, the state's two main power companies said Friday.
Both the Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service said they've been planning for temperatures that could reach 120 degrees by Sunday.
"This is the time of the year that we do all of our planning and preparations for so we are prepared to meet the high loads," SRP's director of supply, trading and fuels.Pam Syrjala said.
Syrjala said SRP has planned to produce more power than the system is expected to need this weekend. She said the utility will produce an extra 1,200 Megawatts of power, enough for about 270,000 more homes than needed.
"So if a generator is unexpectedly unavailable or the load forecast changes, we have sufficient resources that we can rely upon," she said.
RELATED: Friday will be Phoenix's 15th day in a row of 110+ degrees, but it's not record-breaking – yet
APS said it's also been planning for higher-than-normal summer temperatures. A spokesperson said the highest power load ever recorded in the system was July 30, 2020, at 5 p.m., and APS's power system handled it.
Since then, APS said power consumption has come close to that level, but never broken it.
Neither utility is expecting brownouts or blackouts due to the heat.
The City of Phoenix is also bracing for record heat and the potential for heat-related illnesses and death.
During a press conference Friday David Hondula, director of the Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, said the city has had fewer heat-related deaths than this time last year, but warned that this weekend would be brutally hot for those without a cool place to go.
“This likely will be one of the most notable periods in our health record in terms of deaths and illnesses," Hondula said. "Our goal is for that not to be the case.”
Hondula's office coordinates heat relief centers, which are mostly run by charities and third-party organizations. But he admits it's difficult for those who need those centers most, to find them.
“Traditional channels do not reach everyone," Hondula said, "and the city doesn't reach everyone.”
Hondula said the city has made sure charity organizations know the locations of the cooling centers and can tell people living on the street where they can go to cool off.
Temperatures across the valley are expected to hit 119 with a possibility of 120 degrees over the weekend.
Heat Beat
Here are several videos about Arizona's extreme heat and how you can stay safe during the state's summer months.