WASHINGTON D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy has issued an emergency order authorizing ERCOT to deploy backup generation resources at data centers and other major facilities to reduce the load on Texas’ energy grid.
The action follows a letter U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright sent to grid operators asking them to be prepared to use backup generation if needed to mitigate the risk of blackouts during the storm.
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"DOE estimates more than 35 GW of unused backup generation remains available nationwide. The order will help ERCOT with the extreme temperatures and storm destruction across Texas and reduce costs for Americans during the winter storm," the Department of Energy said.
The order is in effect from January 24—January 27, 2026.
The order does not apply to any backup generation resource serving a critical reliability or backup need, including those at defense, homeland security, first responder, air traffic control, hospital facilities, 911 call centers, water treatment or wastewater facilities, natural gas pipeline facilities, natural gas gathering facilities, or other similar facilities.
To read the order, click here.