ERCOT predicts Texas power demand will double by 2030. Before Winter Storm Uri in 2021, few people knew about or had heard of the Electric Reliability Council Of Texas (ERCOT). But since then, there are frequent news reports about how it continues to navigate the precarious balance between supply and demand. In June 2024, ERCOT president and CEO Pablo Vegas told state lawmakers that power demand in Texas is growing even faster than expected. ERCOT had previously estimated overall capacity would need to grow from 85,000 to 110,000 Megawatts (MW) by 2030, but now nearly doubles that estimate to 150,000 MW.

Nov. 20, 2024, the League of Women Voters Comal Area will host Beth Garza, former ERCOT Deputy Director 2008-2014 and Director of the ERCOT Independent Market Monitor 2014-2019 to discuss solutions to Texas’ increasing energy demands. Garza is a renowned industry leader in electricity market design and is known for her ability to convey the most complicated nuances of electricity markets. The meeting at the Tye Preston Memorial Public Library, 16311 S. Access Rd., Canyon Lake, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. is free and open to the public.

Included in the discussion will be the intricacies of Texas’s power grid, its structure, challenges, and its role in ensuring a stable energy supply for the state. Texas market design and ideas for improvement, understanding and managing the supply mix combined with increasing demand. Do we need a new entity to be a distribution system operator, or could other utilities or ERCOT play that role? Why does Texas keep experiencing mass power outages, and are outages likely to continue?