Texas is about to see a large jump in power demand, and pretty quickly. New projections are estimating more than a 50% increase in demand by 2030. ERCOT is now predicting a peak of 138 GW in 2030, up from 87 GW this year.
So what’s causing the leap? The top contributor is the substantial rise in data centers throughout the state. Electrification and industrial growth are also key factors.
How can we meet this demand? In the short term, we need natural gas.
Even with large amounts of wind and solar being added in the state, there still isn’t nearly enough energy to offset demand growth.
Let’s remember that data center demand is constant, not variable. The only way to provide 24/7 reliable supply is with dispatchable sources like gas or nuclear. Since enough nuclear will not be ready until around 2032, we need gas in the near term to avoid shortages.
