Texas says data centers must pass an audit before connecting to the grid
Texas announced new a audit on data centers that could slow approval for new facilities seeking to connect to the state energy grid. Governor Greg Abbott (R) on Monday directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to verify and audit new data center proposals, writing that the review is needed to "keep the grid stable and reliable." Data centers will need to provide information on state and local incentives they've
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Texas has announced a new audit requirement that data centers must pass before connecting to the state's energy grid. The audit will examine state and local incentives the data centers have received, their grid reliance, water consumption, and community impacts like noise. This matters because data centers account for about 90 percent of new power requests to Texas's grid, and the state is currently considering over 474 gigawatts of connection requests, which exceeds five times its record peak electricity demand. Texas is the second-largest data center market in the country, and this audit requirement signals a broader trend of elected leaders across the country slowing approval for energy-intensive projects.
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