ERCOT Sets a September Demand Record of 86,647 MW

Texas power demand set a record for the month of September, according to ERCOT's monthly operational overview published Oct. 16.

The grid operator reported a September peak of 86,647 megawatts on Sept. 12, roughly 6,700 MW above the September 2025 peak. It follows a summer in which ERCOT set an all-time peak above 91,000 MW on July 22, and Texas business executives responding to the Dallas Fed's October surveys pointed to data centers as a growing force in the economy, including bidding up wages.

Smaller grid events

The report also logged three advisories in late September in which the day-ahead market solution was posted late because of long run times. ERCOT's market notices for early October included an 809 MW sudden generation loss on Oct. 11 that pulled frequency down to 59.955 Hz with system load near 53,976 MW, along with routine advisories on a geomagnetic disturbance and planned-outage switching.

Policy backdrop

The Public Utility Commission approved ERCOT's "Batch Zero" process for connecting large electricity users in June, part of a broader effort to manage the data-center wave under Senate Bill 6.

Sources: ERCOT Monthly Operational Overview — September 2026; ERCOT market notices, October 2026.