Texas’ Winter Natural Gas-Fired Power Generation Reached New High in January 2024: EIA

Hourly natural gas fired power generation in Texas rose to 49.4 gigawatts (GW) for the hour starting 7pm on Jan. 16, 2024, according to a May 16 report published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This was one percent more than the preceding winter high of 48.8 GW recorded on December 23,2022 and around four percent lower than the summer hourly high of 51.2 GW recorded on Aug. 25, 2023.

Natural gas fired power generation amounted to 986.2 gigawatt hours (GWh) on Jan. 16, up 72 percent from the average during Jan. 2024 of 572.9 GWh. The increase in natural gas usage for electricity generation on Jan. 16 can be attributed to a three-day cold snap, which led to higher peak power demand for homes and businesses.

Power demand in Texas historically follows a seasonal trend, peaking in the summer amid heat waves and in the winter during periods of below seasonal normal temperatures. During peak demand periods, the electric grid in Texas managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) must have dispatchable power generation sources accessible, in order to satisfy domestic demand. Usually increases in electricity demand are principally supplied by natural gas fired generation.

Gas fired power generation on a daily basis accounted for 56 percent of all generation in ERCOT during the cold snap between January 14-16 2024, in contrast to an average of 46 percent for the whole of January 2024. The increase in gas fired power generation was due to overall electricity demand increasing and a decline in wind and solar generation.

Over the last few years, winter storms and other maintenance events have impacted gas supply in Texas. Despite this, natural gas supply in the state had been sufficient enough to fulfil peak generation demand during Winter 2023.  Extreme weather conditions in previous winters have led to weatherization standards to be implemented in august 2022, which necessitate vital natural g mas infrastructure and assets, including pipelines providing electricity generation facilities to be safeguarded against weather mishaps.