Written by Charlene V. Martoni and James O’Rourke
Published in The Journal News
Near-record temperatures led to near-record power consumption Friday as extreme heat drove some to crank their air conditioners and others to seek relief at the county’s cooling centers.
Maria Pollard, a spokeswoman for Orange and Rockland Utilities Inc., said Friday’s demand for electricity was the second highest in company history, topping out around 1,599 megawatts at 4 p.m. The figure is just shy of the 1,617 megawatts of demand required Aug. 2, 2006.
The anticipated increase in demand drove the company to issue a heat alert Friday morning, but Pollard said O&R’s systems had responded well throughout the day and into the evening.
