ERCOT Hourly Peak Load Sets New Record

Hourly peak load in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has set a new record, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced in a statement posted on its site recently.

In its statement, the EIA noted that, according to data reported to the EIA for its Hourly Electric Grid Monitor, hourly peak load in ERCOT, which the EIA described as the regional transmission organization serving most of Texas, reached a record 91.1 gigawatts (GW) on July 22.

The EIA highlighted that, according to data reported to the EIA, this peak occurred at 6.00 pm CT and was primarily met with generation from natural gas (48 percent) and solar (32 percent).

“The peak occurred during a heat wave and could be surpassed again this summer, especially if Texas experiences another heat wave,” the EIA warned.

“Electricity demand and generation in ERCOT have been increasing in Texas,” it added.

“In regions with increasing electricity demand and generation, periods of high demand, such as heat waves, are likely to continue to set records,” it went on to state.

The EIA outlined in its statement that the new hourly peak load record in ERCOT is “set against the backdrop of growing U.S. electricity demand”.

In a statement posted on its site back in March, the EIA revealed that, based on data from its Electricity Data Browser, U.S. electricity net generation reached a record in 2025.

“In 2025, the United States generated 4.43 thousand terawatthours (TWh) of electricity, up 2.8 percent from 2024 generation, which previously had been the highest annual total in our Monthly Energy Review Data Browser dataset dating back to 1949,” the EIA said in that statement.

The EIA noted that this growth contrasted with the trend of relatively flat electricity generation between the mid-2000s and early 2020s.

“Net generation is related to electricity demand,” the EIA highlighted in its March statement.

“Much of the recent growth in electricity demand comes from the commercial sector, which includes data centers, and the industrial sector, which includes manufacturing establishments,” it added.

“In 2025, U.S. retail sales of electricity to ultimate customers, which is a key indicator of demand, increased compared with 2024 in all three sectors: residential (by 2.2 percent), commercial (by 2.9 percent), and industrial (by 0.7 percent),” it continued.

In that statement, the EIA outlined that its latest short term energy outlook at the time (STEO) expected that electricity generation, driven by higher electricity demand, would continue to grow in 2026 and 2027. In its latest STEO, which was released last month, the EIA continues to predict that U.S. electricity generation will increase in 2026 and 2027.

ERCOT’s website shows that its current yearly peak demand record came on July 22, at 91.089 GW. It highlights, however, that this record is unofficial until final settlements occur.

The site, which includes a table listing ERCOT’s yearly peak demand records, which was last updated on August 6, outlines that the previous record was seen on August 10, 2023, at 85.508 GW. Prior to this, the record came on July 20, 2022, at 80.148 GW, the site highlighted.

For a demand record, ERCOT uses the integrated system load for the full hour, ERCOT states on its site, adding that it does not count instantaneous loads for demand records.

“The unofficial demands reported during, or just after, an operating day are preliminary and the numbers may change slightly as the data goes through the settlement process”, ERCOT notes on its site.

“After a final settlement pass occurs, after several months, the numbers are set and become official,” it adds.

ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to more than 27 million Texas customers, representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load, ERCOT’s site highlights.

“As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 55,000+ miles of transmission lines and 1,460+ generation units, including Private Use Networks,” it states.

ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors, and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature, the site highlights.

The EIA collects, processes, analyzes, and publishes energy data for the American people, the EIA’s site states.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com