The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) says the US power grid is generally well-positioned for summer 2026, thanks to a major increase of about 58 GW in new and available generation capacity, including solar, storage, gas, and other resources. This has improved reserve margins and reduced the number of regions at elevated risk compared to last year.
However, the report warns that reliability concerns are shifting toward the “shoulder seasons” (spring and fall) due to growing electricity demand, extreme weather variability, and operational complexity. Summer peak demand is expected to reach about 865 GW, driven in part by rapid load growth from data centers and other large computational users, though uncertain interconnection timelines are complicating forecasts.
While most regions are now considered normal risk, some areas—including parts of New England, the Northwest, SaskPower in Canada, and West Texas—remain vulnerable during extreme heat, transmission constraints, or low renewable output conditions. The report also highlights risks from wind variability, data center load fluctuations, and changing demand patterns that are making grid planning more challenging overall.
