Power usage spikes expected as B.C. heat arrives, triggering warnings along coast

VANCOUVER — Environment Canada has issued several heat warnings across coastal British Columbia as the province’s utility says power usage this week could hit a new all-time summer high.

BC Hydro says in a statement that the current summer peak usage record is just over 8,600 megawatts, set in August 2025.

The power utility says peaks this week are estimated to range between 8,200 and 8,800 megawatts, depending how much the heat prompts air-conditioning usage.

The projections come as heat warnings have been issued for wide swaths of the B.C. coast from the Howe Sound, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley and Whistler northward to the inland sections of the north and central coast.