Texas blocks data centers from connecting to grid unless they reveal impacts(arstechnica.com)

7 pointsby mikelgan8 hours ago2 comments

carbonguy7 hours ago
> The ERCOT interconnection queue currently includes more than 1,800 projects representing over 474 gigawatts’ worth of requests to connect to the Texas grid—more than five times Texas’ record peak electricity demand—and about 90 percent of those power connection requests come from data centers.
Not just five times the peak demand, but nearly 3x the total capacity in Texas and one-third the total US capacity in 2025 [1]. Compare that to the 11 GW of capacity "under construction" for Texas in 2025; will look for 2026 figures if they can be found, but I have a strong suspicion that there will still be a mismatch between demand and supply even now.
[1] https://www.publicpower.org/system/files/documents/Americas-...
mikelgan8 hours ago
Less than a year after declaring Texas the “epicenter of AI development,” Governor Greg Abbott has declared a moratorium on all new power grid connections for data centers—at least until developers provide more information about their projects’ potential impacts on the grid and communities.
- bell-cot8 hours ago
  In utterly unrelated news:
  "The 2026 Texas gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott is running for re-election to a fourth term." - Wikipedia
  "At least seven in 10 Americans would now oppose a data center being built near their home, according to a new Heatmap Pro poll, a record low that reveals a staggering shift in public opinion against the facilities powering the artificial intelligence boom." - Heatmap.news
  "Gina Hinojosa, the Democrat running for governor, on Thursday called on Gov. Greg Abbott to halt all data center construction in the state until lawmakers craft rules for the projects, which have voters up in arms." - Houston Chronicle