TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – State officials are closely monitoring how the ongoing heatwave impacts the state power grid; which has broken its electricity demand record two days in a row this week as triple-digit temperatures push consumption to historic levels.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, known as ERCOT, reported demand peaked at approximately 91,308 megawatts Wednesday — the second consecutive record this week. The first came Tuesday, when demand reached about 87,000 megawatts, surpassing a record that had stood since August of 2023.
To put the numbers in perspective, approximately one megawatt of electricity is enough to support about 250 homes during peak hours. ERCOT provides electricity for about 90% of the state, supplying energy to more than 27 million people.
That electricity is stepped up to high voltages to be moved across the state and delivered along a portion of more than 55,000 miles of transmission lines. Power is then routed to towers owned by local service providers, who physically deliver it to homes and businesses.
Despite the record demand, ERCOT said the grid is operating under normal conditions and that there is enough energy supply to meet demand. It’s thanks, in part, to renewable energy – which accounts for about 37% of the energy being supplied. Renewable methods like wind and solar generation are becoming more valuable, in part because their generation peaks during the hottest parts of the day when demand is highest.
ERCOT says the demand heading into the weekend is expected to hover in the mid-80,000 to lower 90,000 megawatt range.
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