(The Center Square) – Public reports from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the state’s grid, highlight growing energy demands from data centers, battery storage and solar facilities.
The reports come as Texans are overwhelmingly expressing opposition to such facilities statewide. Taxpayers, ratepayers and voters are expressing concerns about growing demands for energy they say will drain their limited water and power supply, put farmers and ranchers out of businesses and have catastrophic consequences.
The Texas Legislature is currently holding hearings on a range of related issues, including strengthening the state’s grid. Energy issues and strengthening the grid are included in interim charges identified by the Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House speaker for the legislature to address when it convenes next year, The Center Square reported.
At a recent Texas House Committee on State Affairs hearing, ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas explained that companies have expressed interest in connecting to the grid for a combined additional 450,000 MW of power. The majority of it, 340,000 MW, is coming from solar and battery facilities, he said.
An ERCOT report submitted this month to the legislature notes that solar and energy storage accounts for more than 76% of interconnection requests to the grid. ERCOT also says it is tracking 410 GW of large loads seeking interconnection, of which 87% are data centers.
As of Feb. 28, 2026, more than 2,000 generation interconnection requests have been made with ERCOT totaling more than 453,000 MW, the agency says. The overwhelming majority is for energy/battery storage of nearly 178,000 MW, followed by solar, of nearly 163,000 MW, it says.
ERCOT also notes that a “rush of requests for AI data center loads seeking firm service” began in January 2025. The number of requests more than tripled in one year, it says.
ERCOT also filed a Long-Term Load Forecast for 2026–2032 with the Public Utility Commission this month reporting an unprecedented demand for energy.
It said approximately 278,003 MW of total demand is expected by 2029 and 367,790 MW by 2032 if all projects applications were approved. The forecast was discussed at a recent PUC meeting as the state legislature continues oversight of the PUC and ERCOT during the interim session.
The unprecedented demand for electricity is due to “Large Loads … identified in Transmission and/or Distribution Service Provider (TDSP) load submissions based on criteria established in the 2026 Regional Transmission Plan (R-TP) Compliance Plan required by 16 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) § 25.370(g),” ERCOT states.
By comparison, current all-time peak demand is 85,508 MW, ERCOT notes.
This is after AI driven computer demand has already begun “to outpace the grid’s ability to deliver power at scale,” according to a Bloomberg analysis, The Center Square reported. According to public records, there are at least 140 data centers planned to be built in Texas in the next few years.
Data center requests for electricity are exponentially more than those submitted by the oil and natural gas industry, the lifeblood of the Texas economy.
TSP large load requests show a demand of 7,401 MW for data centers compared to 917 MW for the oil and gas industry this year, ERCOT states. By 2032, demand is projected at 228,420 MW for data centers and 2,507 for the oil and gas industry, ERCOT states.
Crypto mining’s current demand is at 2,475 MW this year and projected to be more than 9,000 MW by 2032, according to ERCOT’s forecast.
The forecast is preliminary and based on information provided by transmission and distribution companies and load customers, including data centers, cryptocurrency mining, industrial, and oil and gas industries, among other factors, it says.
According to ERCOT’s forecast, the provider reporting the greatest large loads submission is Dallas-based Oncor Electric Delivery Company. The largest transmission and distribution electric utility in Texas, Oncor services the west, north central and eastern regions of the state.
Its current electricity demand is slightly more than 5,000 MW. By 2032, this jumps to an estimated nearly 110,000 MW, according to ERCOT’s forecast.
Of the large load requests reported by ERCOT in several reports, a small number have been approved; a greater number are under review. The majority of projects mentioned are not under review and no studies submitted have been for them, ERCOT states.
ERCOT has also publicized a schedule of dates for review, approval or rejection of proposals expected through June. Local townhalls are also being held statewide at which members of the public are overwhelmingly expressing opposition to growing demands on the state grid.
