Texas grid operator again forecasts record power use amid heat wave - ERCOT

June 21 (Reuters) - The Texas power grid operator again projected electric use would break a record - this time on Wednesday - after forecast usage fell short of the all-time high on Tuesday as consumers heeded calls to conserve energy during an early summer heat wave.

After setting 11 new peak demand records last summer, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) projected peak demand would break records again next week when extreme heat returns to the Lone Star State.

ERCOT operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state's power load.

Power prices soared to around $5,000 per megawatt hour (MWh) in several parts of the state around the peak hours Tuesday evening in ERCOT's real-time market and about $1,000 at the peak hour for Wednesday in the grid's day-ahead market.

Extreme weather is a reminder of the 2021 February freeze that left millions of Texans without power, water and heat for days during a deadly storm as ERCOT scrambled to prevent a grid collapse after an unusually large amount of generation shut.

AccuWeather forecast high temperatures in Houston, the biggest city in Texas, will hit 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday before sliding to 94 on Thursday. That compares with a normal high of 93 for this time of year.

Meteorologists said scorching weather will return this weekend with highs expected to hit at least 100 degrees almost every day from June 25-July 1.

ERCOT forecast power use would rise from 79,203 megawatts (MW) on Tuesday to 80,458 MW on Wednesday, which would top the grid's current record peak of 80,148 MW on July 20, 2022.

Next week, ERCOT forecast demand would reach 82,080 MW on June 26 and 83,555 MW on June 28. (Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Conor Humphries)