BC Hydro says it is more than able to deliver electricity to its customers in Kamloops and across the province – no matter how hot it gets in the coming days.

Speaking on the NL Morning News, spokesperson Mary Anne Coules says unlike the blackouts seen during heat waves in places like Texas and California, B.C. has more than enough capacity to meet the anticipated increase in power demand.

“So not only right now under the circumstances are we able to meet demand here, but we’ve actually been able to help our neighbours down south as well,” Coules said. “By selling power to the grid in the States, we’re able to keep rates lower for our customers.”

“We estimate without those sales, rates would be about three to four per cent higher. So it really is a win-win situation both for us and for folks in the States.”

In the Western United States, the mercury spiked above 38 C in at least 11 states causing some power outages. BC Hydro says in Texas, for example, there were 2.4 million homes that lost power, while California residents were asked to conserve power to reduce the strain on the state’s grid.

“Certainly things were hot down there and we’re expecting to see those temperatures continue,” Coules added. “Definitely last week, we did help whenever we were able to and we will continue to do that as we go through this heat wave.”

In a statement, BC Hydro said the vast majority of the power it produces comes from clean hydroelectric resources, allowing the crown corporation to ramp generation up-and-down at a moment’s notice.

“And, unlike some of [our] neighbours to the south who are experiencing extremely low-reservoir levels in some areas, B.C. Hydro is forecasting normal reservoir levels on average across the province this summer,” the statement said.

Temperatures in the Kamloops area could reach 40 C this weekend, well above seasonal conditions for this time of year. A heat warning will be issued later this week, and people are being told to take precautions against things like heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

“There’s a lot of opportunity I would say throughout the year for our customers to save power and to save money on their bill. I think in a situation like this, the most important thing is that people stay healthy, they stay cool, and they stay safe,” Coules said.

“So I would say get inside, turn on your AC if you have it, turn on your fans if you have them and do what you need to do to stay cool right now.”