Texas halts 1,800 data‑center hookups

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on August 3 ordered state regulators to halt approvals for new data-center connections to the power grid until they complete an audit of projects seeking service. The order pauses a key review process at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, just weeks after Texas approved a new framework for handling large electricity users such as data centers. The move comes as ERCOT says it is tracking more than 1,800 large-load requests totaling over 474 gigawatts, a figure state officials say is more than five times the grid’s record peak demand. Abbott said projects that fail to meet state requirements should be denied connection to the grid. ### What exactly did Abbott order this week? Abbott on Monday directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT to conduct what he called a “comprehensive verification and audit” of data centers advancing through ERCOT’s interconnection queue. The governor said developers must disclose information including power use, water use, cooling operations, local impacts, tax breaks and ownership details before moving ahead. (texastribune.org) Abbott said in a statement that “our top priority is to protect Texans’ safety and quality of life.” He added that any project failing to comply with PUCT, ERCOT and state-law requirements “must be denied connection to the Texas grid.” ### How big is the queue Texas is trying to sort through? (texastribune.org) ERCOT is tracking more than 1,800 projects representing over 474 gigawatts of requested electricity, according to the Texas Tribune’s account of the governor’s order. Abbott said about 90% of those new power requests are tied to data centers. (texastribune.org) ERCOT said on June 18 that it was already tracking more than 438,000 megawatts of large-load requests, nearly 89% of them from data centers alone. That filing accompanied the launch of the grid operator’s “Batch Zero” process, a new system for studying projects of 75 megawatts or more in groups rather than one by one. (texastribune.org) ### What is “Batch Zero,” and why does pausing it matter? The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved ERCOT’s Batch Zero framework on June 18 as a new way to evaluate large users seeking to connect to the grid. ERCOT said the grouped-study process was meant to show the full picture of future demand, allocate available capacity and identify transmission upgrades needed to support new projects. (ercot.com) Following Abbott’s directive, ERCOT said Monday it was putting the Batch Zero review on pause, according to the Texas Tribune. That means projects that were expecting to move through the first round of the new process now face an added delay while regulators review disclosures and audit requests already in the queue. (ercot.com) ### What are state officials asking developers to disclose? Abbott’s order asks regulators to collect information on electricity demand, on-site and off-site generation, water use, cooling operations, noise-mitigation efforts, light controls, tax incentives and ownership details, according to reports on the directive. State officials have said they want a fuller accounting of how proposed facilities could affect grid reliability and nearby communities. (texastribune.org) Texas officials have not said how long the audit will take. The Texas Tribune reported that it remains unclear whether Abbott wants agencies to review only projects in Batch Zero or all projects currently in the interconnection queue. ### What happens next for companies waiting on Texas power? (texastribune.org) ERCOT said in June that the Batch Zero framework would serve as the basis for a broader transmission-planning process to be developed with stakeholders later in 2026. Abbott’s order now inserts a statewide audit before new data-center projects can move forward under that system. (texastribune.org) The next public milestones are likely to come from the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT as they define the audit scope, request disclosures from developers and decide when the paused Batch Zero review can resume. (texastribune.org) (ercot.com)