Winter Storm Uri (February 2021)
A deep freeze shut natural gas, coal, and nuclear plants across Texas, cutting power to millions and leading to more than 200 deaths statewide.
ERCOT overhauled market rules, raised scarcity price caps, and pushed for more dispatchable capacity.
The disaster turned attention to fast-responding resources; battery storage buildout in ERCOT accelerated in the years that followed.
Uri showed how quickly supply can fall short on the Texas grid, the same risk data-center demand growth now intensifies. Batteries respond in moments, which is why ERCOT is adding them at scale.
