(Bloomberg) -- The Texas grid operator expects power use to surge above what officials forecast to be the system’s winter peak this week as a cold front grips the region.

Demand is predicted to hit 69.3 gigawatts Friday morning as temperatures in Dallas hover around 10F (-12C). The grid operator said last month it expected demand to peak at 67.4 gigawatts this winter. A gigawatt is enough to power about 200,000 Texas homes. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which runs the system, has said it anticipates having enough power supplies to meet demand.

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The cold comes 22 months after a February 2021 winter storm crippled the state’s power system, killing more than 240 people. This year’s arctic blast, however, is forecast to be shorter and less extreme. Temperatures in Dallas fell as low as -2 in 2021 and there were 11 straight days with highs below 40. This year, the low in Dallas is forecast to be 9 and there will be just two days — Friday and Saturday — with highs below 40, according to the National Weather Service. 

Since the deadly storm, Ercot has worked with state utility regulators to winterize equipment and take other steps to protect the grid during extreme weather. Critics have warned those reforms haven’t gone far enough.

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