ERCOT provides new look at peak demand records

Police officer James Rhodes uses a wet towel to cool off as he directs traffic after a sporting event in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

AUSTIN As part of continued efforts to increase transparency into grid operations, ERCOT on Thursday announced a new Peak Demand Records webpage that will provide Texans with a view of current and yearly demand records.

“The new Peak Demand Records webpage increases public visibility into current and past record-breaking demand on the grid,” said ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas in a news release. “Providing updated, readily available information on grid operations remains a key part of ongoing transparency in our communications with the public.”

This summer, ERCOT set 10 new all-time peak demand records, the release said. ERCOT set an all-time peak demand record of 85,464 MW on August 10. ERCOT set a new unofficial September peak demand record of 84,182 MW* on Wednesday, September 8, surpassing the previous September peak of 83,911 MW* set on September 7.

Prior to this year, the previous September peak of 72,370 MW was set on September 1, 2021. Last year, ERCOT set 11 new peak demand records and surpassed 80 GWs for the first time ever.

The Peak Demand Records page will be updated with each new record. For demand records, ERCOT uses the integrated system load for the full hour. ERCOT does not count instantaneous loads for demand records. The unofficial demands reported during or just after an operating day are preliminary and numbers may change slightly as the data goes through the settlement process.

The Peak Demand Records page is accessible from the Helpful Resources page at ercot.com.

*All records are unofficial until final settlements occur.