Hourly peak load in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ERCOT, the regional transmission organisation that serves most of Texas, reached a record 91.1 GW on 22 July, according to data reported to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) for its Hourly Electric Grid Monitor.
The new peak has been reached against a backdrop of growing US electricity demand. It exceeded by 6% the previous record of 85.5 GW, set on 10 August 2023, according to ERCOT records.
The 22 July peak occurred at 6:00 pm Central Time and was met primarily with generation from natural gas (48%) and solar (32%) resources according to data reported to us. It took place during a heat wave and could certainly be overtaken again this summer, especially if Texas experiences another heat wave.
In regions with electricity demand and generation already on the increase, periods of high demand, such as during heat waves, can be expected to continue setting new records. The ERCOT region is one of those that has recently been experiencing increasing electricity demand and generation, most recently in the Southwest Power Pool where demand reached a record 57.9 GW at 5 pm Central Time on 27 July.
