ERCOT weekly average peak loads have exceeded the 2023 record for over six consecutive weeks since late July.

Over six weeks since late July, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ weekly average peak loads have all exceeded a record set in 2023, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

On July 22, ERCOT reached a new peak demand record of 91 GW. Shortly thereafter, the EIA reported in a Sept. 3 analysis that hourly load in ERCOT territory averaged a record 74.5 GW during the week of Aug. 22. “Sustained high temperatures have contributed to persistently high electricity demand in [ERCOT],” the EIA stated. “The past six weeks, from the week ending July 25 through the week ending August 29, have all exceeded the 2023 record.” The agency noted that the hourly average for the week ending Aug. 22 was 10% greater than the highest weekly hourly average recorded in the summer of 2025, and 6% higher than the previous record of 70 GW set in 2023.

ERCOT’s long-term load forecast projects continually increasing peak loads, reaching 154 GW by 2035. However, a recent report from Ascend Analytics forecasts a peak load of 120 GW in 2030. According to an Aug. 3 EIA report, the July 22 peak was “primarily met with generation from natural gas (48%) and solar (32%) resources.” Texas currently holds approximately 53.5 GW of solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Highlighting the role of renewables, Doug Lewin, Google’s Texas lead for energy market development, wrote on X on July 30: “When PJM neared its peak demand record, they declared an energy emergency. Texas has blown past its pre-2026 record 7 times this month, [including] today. No emergencies, not even close. The difference? Solar.” Lewin noted that Texas’ solar resources had reached a deployment record of 35 GW that day. In an Aug. 16 post on X, Lewin added that ERCOT projected peaks of more than 90 GW “every day this week as high temps are expected to be consistently [over 100 degrees],” but emphasized that no shortages were anticipated. Reflecting this outlook, ERCOT stated on its Summer 2026 webpage: “Based on expected weather conditions, ERCOT anticipates there will be sufficient generation to meet demand this summer.”

Amid the record-high demand, the EIA noted in its Sept. 3 report that “ERCOT is auditing proposals from data centers to connect to the grid, following Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s recent moratorium on new data center interconnections.” ERCOT aims to complete its review of approximately 300 proposals by December.