Power surge

ERCOT warns Texas grid could hit record peak demand this summer

ERCOT warns Texas grid could hit record peak demand this summer.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages about 90 percent of the state’s power, is waving a warning flag: The ERCOT grid may set a new record for peak demand in summer 2026.

Based on expectations for a hotter summer this year than last year, ERCOT predicts power demand will hit a peak of more than 92.2 gigawatts this summer — enough power for roughly 18.4 million homes.

“Given the potential for extreme heat combined with significant load growth, ERCOT may surpass its current all-time summer peak,” the organization says in its 2026 summertime forecast.

Further taxing the ERCOT grid are power-hungry data centers and cryptocurrency-mining facilities.

Last year’s peak summer demand for ERCOT reached 83.7 megawatts on August 18, and all-time peak demand of 85.5 gigawatts was recorded on August 10, 2023.

Fortunately, ERCOT believes the grid is in good shape to withstand this summer’s heat: It found a 0.09 percent chance of a grid emergency in June and a 0.21 percent chance in July.

More generation of electricity from solar and wind is helping ERCOT meet stepped-up demand prompted by population growth, and the significant power needs of data centers and cryptocurrency-mining facilities.

About 27 million Texas customers depend on power from ERCOT’s grid.

---

This story was first published on our sister site EnergyCapitalHTX.

ercot texas energy

Hot Headlines

Wagyu Factory buffet plans San Antonio opening and more popular stories

Photo courtesy of Wagyu Factory

All Wagyu Factory locations have a sleek interior, although the San Antonio outpost might look a little different.

Editor's note: The top San Antonio news of the week is full of restaurant tidbits, from all-you-can-eat beef to Cibolo expansions. Read on for our most popular stories, then find the best weekend events right here.

1. All-you-can-eat Wagyu buffet makes Texas debut in San Antonio. Wagyu Factory, an offshoot of the viral Chubby Group hospitality firm, is opening its first Texas restaurant in San Antonio this month, offering an endless buffet of grill-your-own meats and pan-Asian favorites.

Max & Louie's Cibolo. Max & Louie's in Cibolo. Cibolo Commons/ Facebook

2. San Antonio's beloved Max & Louie's opens first Cibolo diner. Max & Louie’s New York Diner is now frying up latkes in Cibolo. The East Coast-style restaurant has opened its second location in the Cibolo Crossing development.

3. Sprouts Farmers Market expands again with first Cibolo store. Sprouts Farmers Market⁠ is expanding its San Antonio-area footprint again — this time in Cibolo. The Phoenix, Arizona-based grocer is moving into the massive Cibolo Crossing shopping center.

4. 'Chaotic' new San Antonio burger joint flips planned Fatburger site. The planned Fatburger location at 23503 Hardy Oak isn't happening; instead, Alamo City firm Brame Brands is converting the Stone Oak site to a “chaotic” new concept called Chuzz Burgers.

5. Mealtime mega-app Wonder to open its first area food hall in Schertz. The techy app-slash-food hall is opening its first San Antonio area storefront in the rapidly growing Schertz Station development.