Updated November 8, 2026. Facts are dated to their source.
Size
ERCOT told the Texas Senate on July 29, 2026 that it was tracking about 474 GW of large loads seeking interconnection as of June 2026, about 90% of them data centers.[1]
Snapshots differ by date and by cleanup. ERCOT's June 18, 2026 working group deck printed 466,497 MW, and restated May's 438,595 MW as 471,415 MW after removing cancellations and duplicates. A change between snapshots is not new construction.[4]
Approved and operating
In its September 2026 operational overview, ERCOT counts 9,456 MW of large load with approval to energize. The observed monthly peak of those loads was 4,132 MW, which ERCOT describes as how much approved load it believes is now operational.[2]
Side by side, approvals are about 2% of the requested figure. The two come from different reports and measures, so read that as scale, not a completion rate.[1][2]
The Batch Zero view
Batch Zero sorted the waiting loads in September 2026:[3]
- Base load: 204 projects, 66.4 GW.
- Studied load: 158 projects, 127.9 GW (125.4 GW on a later slide of the same deck).
- Excluded: 373 projects, 302.2 GW.
Those classifications are conditional on ERCOT's 2026 verification and audit.[3] The study they feed models 2028 through 2032.[5] See Batch Zero, explained.
How to read it
The queue is a request ledger, not a construction schedule. A request is not an approval, and an approval is not operating load. Cite any queue figure with its source, date and unit.[4]
For what the gap means for one site's date, see How long until power arrives.
The record
16 of 46 first stated Texas power dates held. Every date, graded.
Building in Texas? Send the site, the megawatts and the date you were given. contact@pallara.xyz
Sources
- Assessing the Grid, Senate Business and Commerce Committee. ERCOT, Jul 29, 2026.
- Monthly Operational Overview, September 2026. ERCOT, Oct 16, 2026.
- Batch Zero Update, Board of Directors item 14. ERCOT, Sep 14, 2026.
- Reading the ERCOT large load queue. Pallara Research, Aug 12, 2026, updated Oct 10, 2026.
- Batch Zero Interconnection Study Scope, RPG. ERCOT, Jul 21, 2026.
Pallara represents no applicant and takes no position on any project. Decision support, not legal advice. Corrections: contact@pallara.xyz.