With early heat wave set to cook Dallas-Fort Worth, ERCOT may have record-breaking demand

An unseasonable Dallas-area heat wave this week that’s expected to push temperatures into the upper 90s ― and perhaps even higher ― could also create record-breaking peak demand for the month of May.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas projected peak demand for 5 p.m. Wednesday to be 80,831 megawatts, suring the previous May demand record of 77,000 megawatts.

Demand projections decline the remainder of the week as temperatures slightly cool, according to the state’s power grid operator.

Wednesday’s projection is shy of the current all-time power demand record of 85,435 megawatts set in August 2023.

ERCOT had not issued an emergency weather alert or asked for energy conservation ahead of the high-demand week.

During the second annual ERCOT Innovation Summit last week in Round Rock, CEO Pablo Vegas told a group of reporters that he believes the grid will be reliable during the sustained summer heat.

He said “increased resources,” like solar and batteries, made a significant difference last summer in meeting demand. He added that ERCOT will again benefit from a full portfolio of resources this year.

“I feel confident that we’re going to be able to continue to meet the expectations on reliability over the course of this summer, and we’re going to do everything we can to integrate the resources on the supply side as quickly as we can,” Vegas said.

“It’s been something that’s been a strength of ERCOT’s and we’ll continue to work quickly to make sure everybody can get onto the grid that wants to.”

This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative ed by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.