Data centers and new power in Kern County, CA
13.8 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Kern County, CA — 51 active requests. Typical wait: 6.8 years. 54 projects are built, 303 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.
Is one near your house?
We have not mapped a large AI data center inside Kern County itself — but we track the biggest ones nationally, and requests to connect new power here are on the public record.
What is happening with electricity in Kern County
Every new power plant, battery or big customer has to join a waiting list before it can plug into the grid. This is what that list looks like in Kern County right now.
Where every request ever filed here ended up
Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on. That is normal, not a warning sign for Kern County.
What kind of power is asking to connect
By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.
All the numbers
409 requests ever filed
Source: interconnection queues published by CAISO, LADWP. Parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Data as of 14 October 2026. A queued project is a request, not a commitment.
Outcome of every request filed here
| Outcome | Projects | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built | 54 | 7.0 GW | 13.2% |
| Still waiting | 51 | 13.8 GW | 12.5% |
| Withdrawn | 303 | 52.5 GW | 74.1% |
| Paused | 1 | — | 0.2% |
Waiting to connect, by type of power
| Type | Projects | Capacity requested |
|---|---|---|
| Solar + battery | 33 | 9.1 GW |
| Solar | 10 | 2.8 GW |
| Batteries | 6 | 1.8 GW |
| Wind | 1 | 100 MW |
| Natural gas | 1 | 35 MW |
Key dates for projects here
1 dated · next closes 2026-10-15 (CAISO)
| Queue | What closes | Closes | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAISO | CAISO Cluster 16 interconnection request window Interconnection requests submitted through the GRIP portal. | 2026-10-15 | confirmed source |
| FERC | FERC large-load show cause — stakeholder comments on RTO responses Comments on the six RTO/ISO responses to the FPA section 206 show-cause orders of 18 June 2026 (PJM EL26-67, SPP EL26-68, NYISO EL26-69, MISO EL26-70… | No date published yet | unconfirmed source |
| FERC | FERC RM26-4 — generic large-load rulemaking Still at ANOPR stage. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
| FERC | Georgia PSC - Georgia Power must file large-load contracts 30 days before execution A standing obligation rather than a dated one: large-load contracts must be filed with the commission at least 30 days before they are executed. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
A date marked confirmed was checked by a person against the authority's own tariff, order or form page. Anything else is listed so you know it exists, with a link so you can check it yourself. Full calendar.
The biggest projects on file
top 15 by size
| Project | Type | Capacity | Status | Filed | Queue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SANBORN HYBRID 3 | Solar + battery | 1.4 GW | active | 2019-04 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Solar + battery | 1.1 GW | withdrawn | 2009-07 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Solar | 1.1 GW | withdrawn | 2011-03 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Solar | 1.0 GW | withdrawn | 2011-03 | CAISO |
| BUTTONBUSH SOLAR HYBRID ENERGY CENTER | Solar + battery | 800 MW | active | 2019-04 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Natural gas | 725 MW | withdrawn | 2007-04 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Solar | 700 MW | withdrawn | 2008-05 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Solar | 700 MW | withdrawn | 2008-05 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Solar | 700 MW | withdrawn | 2008-05 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Solar | 700 MW | withdrawn | 2016-05 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Wind | 688 MW | withdrawn | 2009-07 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Wind | 650 MW | withdrawn | 2007-02 | CAISO |
| CPC WEST | Solar + battery | 600 MW | active | 2006-03 | CAISO |
| EUISMOD | Solar + battery | 600 MW | active | 2021-04 | CAISO |
| Withdrawn project | Natural gas | 600 MW | withdrawn | 2008-05 | CAISO |
How Kern County compares
#5 in the US · #2 in CA
Kern County ranks #5 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #2 of 42 in California.
| County | Waiting | Capacity queued |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | 32 | 14.7 GW |
| Riverside County | 22 | 7.8 GW |
| San Bernardino County | 19 | 7.3 GW |
| Fresno County | 28 | 6.5 GW |
| Imperial County | 34 | 6.4 GW |
| Sacramento County | 16 | 3.6 GW |
| Kings County | 8 | 2.5 GW |
| Merced County | 10 | 2.5 GW |
Common questions about power in Kern County
How long does it take to get power for a data center in Kern County, CA?
The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Kern County is 6.8 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 54 projects in Kern County have reached energization and 303 were withdrawn, so the withdrawal rate here is a better guide to risk than any single quoted timeline.
How much capacity is available in Kern County, CA?
13.8 GW is currently requested across 51 active interconnection requests, and 7.0 GW has actually been built. A queued megawatt is a request, not deliverable capacity — most queued projects are never built. For deliverable offtake capacity at a specific substation you need a utility study, not a queue.
Is Kern County, CA a good site for a data center?
This page gives you the power half of that answer: what is queued, what has been energized, how long the wait runs, and which large load interconnection requests are already recorded nearby. The other half — the state policy position, moratoriums and large load tariffs — is on our California policy page.
Where does the data on this page come from?
The interconnection queue published by the transmission providers serving Kern County — CAISO, LADWP — parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Every figure carries the date it was true. Data as of 14 October 2026.
Go deeper on Kern County
The interactive map plots every one of these applications, and a generated county report puts them in a sourced PDF with the date each figure was true on every page.
Open Kern County on the map County reports All of California