Demand for power in Texas smashed an all-time record Tuesday as homes and businesses cranked their air conditioners in response to searing heat.
With much of the state under an excessive heat warning, demand reached an unofficial 85,559 megawatts late Tuesday afternoon, said a spokesperson for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which runs the state’s grid. That topped the previous record of 85,508 set in August 2023.
Widespread power outages were not reported, and ERCOT’s dashboard showed the power grid was operating normally with sufficient capacity. ERCOT predicts demand to fall below 85,000 megawatts Wednesday, providing some relief.
Texas’ surging population and a growing number of industrial-scale users — such as bitcoin miners and data centers — have increased stress on the power grid. ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas told The Dallas Morning News in June that Texas can meet its energy needs, but the state’s electricity infrastructure will need a boost and batteries to overcome demand during peak use.
“We are on the precipice of a new era of growth that’s coming to Texas, and I think we’re very well positioned to meet that growth,” Vegas said.
Texas has its own energy grid, meaning the state must generate the majority of its energy for residents to keep their lights and air conditioners on.
Extreme weather has at times caused the Texas grid to falter. Most memorably, a winter storm in February 2021 crippled the grid, leaving millions of people in the dark and cold for days. More than 200 Texans died as a result.
Most of Texas’ energy comes from natural gas, but other energy sources, namely solar and wind, have played a critical role in offsetting the summer’s demand. In fact, the toughest time for the grid is between 8 and 9 p.m., when the state loses 15,000 to 16,000 megawatts provided by solar energy, Vegas previously told The News.
To make up for this, ERCOT has begun working closely with battery operators that can store power when it’s needed the most.
Tuesday’s temperature hit 104 degrees at DFW International Airport, just slightly cooler than Monday, which at 107 degrees was the hottest day of the year.
Temperatures in North Texas are expected to hover around 100 into early next week, said Allison Prater, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. By early next week, high temperatures could dip into the mid-90s.