(Reuters) – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said electricity demand could rise sharply into the 2030s as an increasing pipeline of data centers drives most of the projected growth, according to a presentation on Wednesday by the grid operator.
- ERCOT’s preliminary base forecast projects peak electricity demand climbing from about 98,087 megawatts in 2026 to about 111,318 megawatts by 2032.
- These projections reflect factors such as economic growth, electric vehicle adoption, rooftop solar installations and existing large loads.
- However, when accounting for large and medium loads reported by transmission companies, peak demand could jump to 367,790 megawatts by 2032, more than triple current levels.
- Non-crypto data centers account for the vast majority of the projected growth in demand, followed by cryptocurrency mining, industrial customers and oil and gas operations.
- The operator said the data centers reflect “continued growth and interest in Texas and the ERCOT grid.”
Reporting by Pablo Sinha in Bengaluru, Editing by Louise Heavens
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