ERCOT Says Texas Power Demand Could Nearly Double by 2032

Texas just set a record for electricity use — and its grid operator says demand could nearly double within six years.

ERCOT now projects statewide demand will reach about 175,000 megawatts by 2032, roughly twice the peak set in July 2026, the Texas Tribune reported. Chief executive Pablo Vegas attributed the surge to "a massive influx of data centers," alongside the state's fast-growing population and other large industrial projects.

Rewriting the forecast

The scale of that growth has forced ERCOT to overhaul how it forecasts demand, after energy-hungry data centers overwhelmed its older models. An earlier projection that reached nearly 368,000 megawatts was deemed unreliable, prompting regulators to rework the system.

For now, the grid is keeping pace. A rapid expansion of solar power and battery storage helped Texas meet this summer's record peaks without asking residents to conserve — a sharp contrast to the tighter margins of recent years. The challenge ahead is building generation and transmission fast enough to keep up with the demand still to come.

Sources: The Texas Tribune.