We don’t need to tell you that Texas is a study of energy contrasts—producing more fossil fuels and renewables than any other state in the nation. The great white hope of the energy transition is to wean us off our dependence on oil and natural gas to construct a future that’s otherwise dependent exclusively on alternative energies to ensure lifestyles and economies keep rolling along without disruption. But dramatic shifts don’t happen overnight, and in the case of power generation right now, adding more natural gas-fired capacity is the name of the game.

Reese Energy Consulting today is following the latest news on how growing AI and data centers, tech manufacturing, and more electricity-consuming businesses dependent on reliable power grids, have operators adding more natural gas capacity to their baseload to prepare for what lies ahead. This, in addition to growing consumer demand for heating and cooling from utilities employing alternative energy sources like solar, wind, batteries, and in Texas, nuclear. For now, these renewables are the backup singers to lead performances mostly held by natural gas—the backbone of the state’s largest grid operator, ERCOT, which faces a shortfall of generation capacity by 2030.

More power plants will be needed here and across the country to make way for ever-more consumption amid tech’s new age—and plans for more natural gas-fired power consumption are on a fast track. Texas is on top of this with its largest electricity generator, Vistra Corp., announcing it will add up to 2 GW of natural gas-fuel capacity. Entergy Texas and NRG Energy have followed suit to expand their own.