Planning for the Freeze: Texas Grid Roundup #87
ERCOT projections ahead of the coming winter storm; long term changes in reliability needs; and what large transmission planning investments tell us.
In this edition:
As Texas heads into the first winter storm of 2026, ERCOT projects sufficient supply.
Rising electricity demand across all seasons is reshaping reliability needs.
ERCOT transmission planning points to a shift toward larger investments, including extra-high voltage lines.
These Grid Roundups – along with the full archives, select episodes of the Energy Capital Podcast (including this one on how batteries are reshaping the grid, with Fluence VP Suzanne Leta), Reading and Podcast Picks, and more – are for paid subscribers.
Texas Is about to Get Cold; ERCOT Says It’s Ready
As Texas prepares for its first winter storm of 2026, attention once again turns to the reliability of the ERCOT grid. As recent reporting and current forecasts indicate, ERCOT expects to have sufficient generation available to meet anticipated demand during this cold snap. Here’s ERCOT’s projection as of 9 p.m. Wednesday:
But reliability depends on more than having enough power plants online. That will be true this weekend, and it will be even more true in the future.
Texas’ power system is being asked to do more than ever before: serve more customers with higher reliability standards, move more electrons to meet ever-growing demand year after year, and be more resilient to extreme weather. This challenge is not unique to Texas. Utilities across the nation are gearing up to spend trillions of dollars in the next few years, initiating a new wave of infrastructure investment to modernize aging assets, harden systems against extreme weather, and keep pace with load growth.
Transmission sits at the center of these converging pressures.
