Texas has more than 400 data centers within its borders, giving it the highest concentration of any state outside of Virginia. And we all know that data centers are incredibly hungry for power. All this is heightening concerns that the state’s energy grid may not be able to keep up when winter temperatures set in.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which keeps tabs on risks to electricity sources, highlighted this issue in a new report this week. Per the report, the increased demand on electricity grids from big industrial users like data centers coupled with increased need from residents to heat their homes when it gets cold is likely to exceed load capacity. This can lead to blackouts.
The report notes that places with larger concentrations of data centers, like Texas, will likely be at greater risk: “For the upcoming winter season, Texas [Regional Entity for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas] RE-ERCOT is expected to continue facing reserve shortage risks during the peak load hour and high-net-load hours, particularly under extreme load conditions that accompany freezing temperatures.”
