Overview
- ERCOT’s June summer forecast projects a possible peak of about 92,211 megawatts, which would exceed last summer’s demand and the 2023 record.
- That projection reflects a hotter-than-last-year outlook and roughly 2 gigawatts of new large loads joining the grid from May through September, including data centers and cryptocurrency miners.
- ERCOT says it may add more Congestion Management Plans this summer to manage overloads and those plans could require targeted, localized load-shedding if specific transmission or generation contingencies occur.
- Experts say wind, solar and battery additions have raised overall capacity and resilience, but thermal plants and gas infrastructure remain crucial and have seen little new buildout in recent years.
- The forecast revives memory of past failures — the 2021 freeze and 2023 near-blackouts — and could mean more localized outages, higher local grid congestion and pressure on electricity costs for some Texans.