Texas shatters record for winter power demand

Texas has set a new record for winter power demand in the wake of a record-breaking cold snap that gripped the state on Tuesday night, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees 90 percent of the state's grid.

Power demand peaked between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Wednesday at 65,731 megawatts -- shattering the record of 62,855 megawatts hit earlier this month when another cold snap hit the state. In a news release, ERCOT said the state had sufficient power resources available to meet demand.

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The spike in demand also affected wholesale power prices, which hit around $200 per megawatt hour across the state, according to ERCOT. The average wholesale price of power, which changes by the minute every day, is typically $25 per megawatt-hour. By 9:30 a.m., prices had dropped down to around $100 per megawatt-hour, except in South Texas.

Temperatures in the Houston area hovered in the low 20s on Wednesday morning -- and plunged into the teens north of the city. Houston is supposed to break freezing by the afternoon, but that leaves plenty of time for power demand to continue to rise.