Texas Turns AI Data Centers Into a Grid-Admission Audit

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed PUCT and ERCOT on August 3, 2026 to conduct a comprehensive verification and audit of data centers advancing through ERCOT’s interconnection process before those projects move forward. The order lands amid roughly 474 gigawatts of large-load requests to connect to the Texas grid, with the governor’s office saying about 90% of new power requests are data centers. The move reframes AI-era data centers as strategic infrastructure applicants rather than ordinary load growth.