In-brief analysis
September 3, 2026
Weekly average load in ERCOT continues near record high
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Hourly Electric Grid Monitor
Note: ERCOT=Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Weekly average load is based on hourly data that are averaged across the week.
Note: ERCOT=Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Weekly average load is based on hourly data that are averaged across the week.
Sustained high temperatures have contributed to persistently high electricity demand in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the regional transmission organization for most of the state:
- Hourly load in ERCOT averaged a record 74.5 gigawatts (GW) for the week ending August 22, 2026. Average hourly load for the week ending August 29 came in just below that at 73.7 GW.
- The hourly average for the week ending August 22 was 10% greater than the highest hourly average for any week in summer of 2025 and 6% greater than the previous record of 70.0 GW set in 2023.
- The past six weeks, from the week ending July 25 through the week ending August 29, have all exceeded the 2023 record.
- Amid the record-high demand, 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.
Principal contributor: Alex Mey
Tags: electricity, electric power grid