West Texas regulators examined additional transmission as oil producers and proposed data centers drive sharply rising regional electricity demand.

Texas grid and utility-regulatory executives appeared before the Texas House State Affairs Committee to discuss the need for additional transmission lines in West Texas. The hearing addressed rising power demand in the region as both oil and gas producers and technology companies pursue greater electricity use.

Diamondback Energy, identified as one of the Permian Basin’s largest oil producers, expects its own electricity demand to double over the next ten years even if oil output remains unchanged. Technology companies are also considering data centers in the Permian Basin, adding another category of proposed load.

Citigroup analysts warned that the region could face outages as soon as the following summer. That statement was an analyst warning, while the transmission discussion itself concerned the need for more grid infrastructure; the supplied source does not identify approved transmission projects or committed data-center megawatts.