The explosive growth of data centers could threaten the stability of the electrical grid this winter, according to an industry overseer.

Across North America, demand for electricity this winter is expected to be 2.5% higher than last year for a total of 20 gigawatts, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) said in a report released this week. In recent years, winter demand grew by 1% or less.

Data centers are driving a significant chunk of that growth, especially in the mid-Atlantic, U.S. West, and U.S. Southeast, “areas where a lot of data center development is occurring,” Mark Olson, NERC manager of reliability assessments, told E&E News.

The report specifically calls out data center expansion in Texas, saying that it is “contributing to continued risk of supply

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