Texas Governor Abbott Orders Audit of All New Data Centers Before Grid Connection

Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed PUCT and ERCOT on August 3, 2026, to audit every proposed data center before grid connection. Non-compliant projects will be denied power. Data centers account for roughly 90 percent of ERCOT's 474 GW interconnection queue — over five times record peak demand. The directive lacks a completion timeline, leaving its impact on development pace unclear.