Full Agenda
Plan your three days in Austin with the complete ERCOT Power NEXT 2027 schedule. Explore shared plenary discussions, concurrent sessions on market reforms and asset optimization, and dedicated time to connect with industry peers.
2027 Full Program
Use the day links to move through the full program, including session descriptions, discussion points and listed speakers.
7:30 AM–6:30 PM Plenary Session
The 89th Legislative Session passed several bills focused on developing energy infrastructure to meet rapidly increasing demand, most notably SB 6, a groundbreaking law spurring the integration of load and generation development. While many mandates passed in previous legislatures are just now becoming operational in the market, it seems certain that the 90th Legislative Session will continue to focus on increasing reliability and the addition of energy assets to the ERCOT market, which could be passed before the results of previous measures can be evaluated. This panel will explore the possibilities of new legislative actions, and their potential impact on the ERCOT market.
Panelists
* Panel description will be updated as data collection from data centers and its impacts can be better assessed
While currently delayed due to Gov. Abbott’s moratorium on approval of data centers until regulatory agencies can audit information being reported by those seeking connection to the Texas electric grid, ERCOT's Batch Zero process represents the most significant change to Texas large-load interconnection and system planning in decades.
As the first system-wide study of how to meet the needs of major electricity users moves forward, developers, utilities, regulators, and investors are evaluating whether the new framework is delivering faster, fairer, and more transparent access to the grid. This session will look beyond the process rollout and toward its practical market impacts.
Panelists
* Panel description will be updated as data collection from data centers and its impacts can be better assessed
AI-oriented data centers, crypto mining, and oil & gas processing are driving unprecedented increases in demand in ERCOT. While the information gathered through the reporting mandated by SB 6 and Governor Abbott will undoubtedly provide information to help to better focus these projections, the latest ERCOT Load Forecast projects peak demand to reach 367,790 MW by 2032, though officials note this preliminary long-term figure is likely inflated. But not all this load will arrive at the same time, and uncertainty remains as to where they will be located, and how much power will really be needed. This panel will examine load growth in ERCOT, including:
Panelists
Data centers face a daunting task in securing power supply: quickly arranging the delivery of huge amounts of reliable power, while simultaneously striving to meet corporate responsibility and clean energy goals. What are they doing to meet near-term energy needs, while also creating plans to transition to grid-connecting supply options that would likely be more reliable, cost effective, and cleaner? Are data center developers, owners, and operators likely to begin building their own power plants if the energy industry cannot provide solutions tailored to meet these challenges? This panel will provide perspectives on the innovative approaches being used to overcome the current barriers and to develop near, medium and long-term solutions to power supply needs. What advantages and disadvantages do they see with collocating data centers with traditional gas generation, nukes, solar and wind paired with storage, etc.
Panelists
As ERCOT faces unprecedented load growth driven by data centers, oil & gas electrification, industrial expansion, and residential load growth, Texas is embarking on one of the most ambitious transmission expansion efforts in its history. The proposed 765-kV transmission backbone promises to improve long-distance power transfers, relieve congestion, and connect new generation resources, but it also raises significant questions regarding cost, timing, routing, and whether it represents the most effective solution for the state's evolving grid. This panel will examine the economic and reliability case for 765-kV transmission, the anticipated benefits for consumers and market participants, and the challenges associated with permitting, right-of-way acquisition, and cost allocation. Panelists will also explore whether alternative approaches, including targeted upgrades to the existing transmission network, advanced grid technologies, distributed energy resources, and strategically located dispatchable generation—could address Texas' power delivery needs more quickly or cost-effectively.
Panelists
Developers are increasingly running into increasing pushbacks from residents, local governments, and other entities. A groundswell of local opposition to data centers has also emerged, making it increasingly likely that their associated power projects will encounter difficulties with siting and permitting in otherwise suitable areas. And even the prospects of facing delays can cause otherwise viable projects to avoid entering the fray altogether. This panel will examine how the local permitting environment can affect data centers and their associated generation projects and explore how to do a better job of building local support and combatting disinformation among the public, local officials, and regulators.
Panelists
8:00 AM–6:30 PM Dual Tracks
* Panel description will be updated as data collection from data centers and its impacts can be better assessed
The Reliability Assessment Study was expected to begin clarifying Resource Adequacy needs in ERCOT by the start of 2027, but has been delayed until at least June due to uncertainties introduced by the Batch Zero process and an unsettled load forecast. But as Texas continues to experience unprecedented load growth driven by data centers, electrification, and industrial expansion, policymakers, regulators, market participants, and investors need to explore how it could affect identifying the resources needed to maintain reliability—and what additional actions may be necessary if it does not. This panel will analyze the shape of the next phase of resource adequacy discussions in ERCOT, and how they could influence market design, reliability planning, operational strategies, and investment decisions.
Panelists
Development continues to outpace predictions, despite ERCOT market design uncertainties and federal policy headwinds. While the demand for new energy development in ERCOT is overwhelming, developers must deal with a plethora of market design changes, equipment sourcing headaches, labor shortages, a transmission system subject to congestion at key nodes, and most of all, challenges in obtaining financing. How are developers approaching these challenges? Which projects are penciling out and are economically viable? This panel examines utility-scale development in TX today and how the industry will evolve past 2027.
Panelists
The PUCT is moving to replace the traditional 4 Coincident Peak (4CP) transmission cost allocation methodology in December 2026, with the leading candidate a 12 Coincident Peak (12CP) methodology. The outcome could fundamentally reshape how the costs of expanding the grid are shared among market participants. With unprecedented load growth, rising transmission investment needs, and increasing debate over who should pay for infrastructure that benefits a rapidly changing resource mix, stakeholders are exploring new approaches that more accurately reflect system usage, cost causation, and beneficiary impacts.
This panel will examine the method chosen to move beyond 4CP and assess how new transmission cost allocation methodologies could influence investment decisions, project economics, and customer costs.
Panelists
As ERCOT becomes more dynamic and increasingly driven by rapid load growth, volatile pricing, and evolving market rules, asset owners must continually adapt their operating and commercial strategies to maximize returns. Success will depend on optimizing performance across a broad range of market opportunities while responding to changing reliability requirements, transmission constraints, ancillary service needs, and shifting price signals. This panel will examine how generation owners, battery operators, renewable developers, large flexible loads, and energy traders are refining optimization strategies to capture value in an increasingly complex market. Panelists will discuss how advances in forecasting, artificial intelligence, automated bidding, and co-optimization tools are improving dispatch decisions, while also exploring how evolving ERCOT policies—including state of charge requirements, ancillary service reforms, congestion management, and new cost allocation mechanisms—are influencing asset economics. The discussion will also address strategies for managing merchant risk, optimizing hybrid resources, participating in virtual power plant and Aggregated Distributed Energy Resource (ADER) programs and balancing short-term market opportunities with long-term investment objectives.
Panelists
* Panel description will be updated as data collection from data centers and its impacts can be better assessed
ERCOT is a hotbed for the development of AI training and inference data centers, as well as other large industrial loads. There is growing recognition that the old paradigm of large loads simply seeking interconnection will not suffice to meet their development schedules, driving many data center developers to seek alternative solutions and take a more active role in investing in their own power generation capacity and grid upgrades. This panel will explore the alternative approaches they are taking to increase their speed to power and provide operational flexibility, including:
Panelists
As Texas experiences unprecedented load growth and an increasingly diverse generation mix, maintaining the real-time balance between electricity supply and demand has become one of ERCOT's most critical operational challenges. Rapidly growing large loads, expanding battery storage, increasing renewable penetration, evolving ancillary service requirements, and changing market rules are reshaping how the grid responds to both routine operations and system disturbances.
This panel will examine the operational and market tools ERCOT is relying on to maintain reliability while accommodating significant changes in both generation and demand.
Panelists
Presenter
As the ERCOT market continues to expand to support unprecedented load growth, ensuring the security and resilience of Texas' electric grid has become more critical than ever. The increasing digitalization of grid operations, growing dependence on interconnected communications networks, rising geopolitical threats, and the rapid addition of distributed and inverter-based resources are creating new vulnerabilities that extend well beyond traditional reliability concerns. At the same time, utilities, generators, transmission providers, and large industrial customers must protect critical infrastructure from both cyberattacks and physical threats while maintaining reliable, affordable electric service.
This panel will examine the evolving security landscape facing the Texas power sector and discuss the measures ERCOT is implementing, and their potential impacts on market participants.
Panelists
Much of the focus on powering data centers has been on the lack of transmission capacity and difficulties obtaining interconnection agreements, but grid access is not the only factor that can limit a project. As a growing wave of data centers seek the perfect scenario, many are having to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of sites considering a multitude of factors, and assess how those affect project value, risk, cost, and schedule. This panel will discuss how these factors can affect powered land strategies and solutions, including:
Panelists
Texas needs unprecedented investment in generation, transmission, energy storage, natural gas infrastructure, and large-load interconnections to support rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and the rise of data centers and other energy-intensive facilities. While these investments are essential to maintaining reliability and enabling economic growth, they also raise important questions about who pays, how costs should be allocated, and how to ensure electricity remains affordable for consumers.
This panel will examine the challenge of balancing the need for continued infrastructure investment with the desire to minimize impacts on ratepayers and market participants. Industry leaders, regulators, utilities, developers, investors, and large energy users will discuss the tradeoffs involved in expanding the grid, financing new transmission, integrating emerging technologies, and designing market and regulatory frameworks that encourage investment while maintaining competitive prices.
Panelists
As ERCOT faces unprecedented load growth, Aggregated Distributed Energy Resources (ADERs) are poised to play a much larger role in supporting grid reliability and market efficiency. The expansion of ERCOT's ADER program is creating new opportunities for virtual power plants (VPPs), behind-the-meter batteries, controllable load, distributed generation, and other customer-sited resources to participate directly in wholesale markets. As participation grows, ADERs have the potential to provide ancillary services, alleviate local grid constraints, improve resource adequacy, and reduce the need for more costly infrastructure investments. However, realizing these benefits will require continued improvement of market rules, aggregation models, telemetry requirements, and operational practices.
This panel will examine how the ADER program is transforming the participation of distributed assets in the ERCOT market and what challenges remain as the program scales. Panelists will discuss the current state of ADER implementation, lessons learned from early participants, and how VPPs, aggregators, retail electric providers, technology companies, and large customers are preparing for broader deployment.
Panelists
Demand response is emerging as a potentially important tool for maintaining grid reliability while limiting the need for costly infrastructure investments. New technologies, expanded participation opportunities, and large flexible loads have the potential to transform demand response from a niche reliability resource into a core component of ERCOT's evolving market design. But questions remain about how much flexible demand can realistically be relied upon during system emergencies and whether existing market structures provide sufficient incentives for participation.
This panel will examine the expanding role of demand response in supporting reliability, reducing price volatility, and improving system flexibility. They will discuss the potential avenues for large commercial and industrial customers, aggregations of distributed energy resources, and data centers to participate. The discussion will also explore market and regulatory developments, compensation mechanisms, operational challenges, and how demand response can complement new generation, transmission expansion, and energy storage as ERCOT works to meet rapidly growing electricity demand.
Panelists
ERCOT's initial implementation of mandatory inverter-based resource (IBR) ride-through requirements marked a significant development in the effort to strengthen grid reliability amid rapidly growing renewable generation and grid-scale battery deployment. However, project owners, transmission providers, and grid operators working to adapt to these new performance standards face important challenges around compliance, the processing of exemptions, the ability to update plant controls, interconnection timelines, testing, and operational impacts.
This panel will examine lessons learned from the initial implementation of the ride-through requirements, and how the new standards are affecting project design, commissioning, and fleet operations, while exploring remaining technical and commercial challenges.
Panelists
7:30 AM–Noon Plenary Session
What could a typical operational day look like in ERCOT in 2030, 2035, or 2040? The entrance of advanced nuclear, geothermal, or other low-emission dispatchable generation could radically reshape dispatch order, and affect the long-term value of renewable assets, gas-fired generation, and BESS. But the question remains: how soon could these new generation technologies plausibly be deployed? And could current initiatives in Texas accelerate that process? This panel will discuss the prospects for new technologies in the ERCOT market, including:
Panelists
This panel of lenders, tax equity investors, private equity, infrastructure funds, and other financial institutions will provide their insights on what will be financeable in 2027 and beyond in the ERCOT market. They will discuss how the coming end of federal incentives is affecting project delivery, and how the impacts of Texas state energy policies are affecting underwriting. They will analyze the continuing impacts of high interest rates, rising EPC costs, and tariffs on the construction costs, and how ERCOT market design changes and their impacts on forward power price curves are affecting bankability.
Panelists
The race to power data centers and other large loads is having a profound impact on investors’ attitudes regarding investing in projects, as well as the M&A market for both existing generation assets. Billions of dollars and gigawatts of legacy gas plants have changed hands, while hyperscalers recently have moved to outright acquire developers and asset owners. At the same time, the large hybrid facilities at the heart of BYOC strategies have huge capital needs, far outstripping even the largest energy projects. This panel will discuss these deal trends, their needs, and roles.
Panelists
Session titles, times, formats and speakers are subject to change. Additional speakers and presentation details will be announced as the program develops.
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