Data centers and new power in Mason County, IL

1.0 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Mason County, IL — 5 active requests. Typical wait: 4.1 years. 3 projects are built, 10 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.

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Is one near your house?

We have not mapped a large AI data center inside Mason County itself — but we track the biggest ones nationally, and requests to connect new power here are on the public record.

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The power picture

What is happening with electricity in Mason 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 Mason County right now.

1.0 GW
of new power is waiting to connect
5 projects asked. Not yet approved. Roughly what 834,000 homes use.
391 MW
has actually been built
3 projects switched on so far.
4.1 yrs
typical wait to plug in

Where every request ever filed here ended up

  • Built 17%
  • Still waiting 28%
  • Withdrawn 56%

Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on. That is normal, not a warning sign for Mason County.

What kind of power is asking to connect

  • Solar 62%
  • Wind 38%

By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.

All the numbers

18 requests ever filed
Pending applications
5
of 18 ever filed
Capacity queued
1.0 GW
requested, not committed
Already built
391 MW
3 projects connected
Built vs decided
23.1%
10 withdrawn
Median wait
4.1 yr
for applications still pending
Connected capacity
412 MW
indicator, see note

Source: interconnection queues published by MISO. 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

OutcomeProjectsCapacityShare
Built3391 MW16.7%
Still waiting51.0 GW27.8%
Withdrawn101.3 GW55.6%
Paused0—0.0%

Waiting to connect, by type of power

TypeProjectsCapacity requested
Solar3642 MW
Wind2400 MW

Key dates for projects here

1 dated · next closes 2027-09-10 (MISO)
QueueWhat closesClosesStanding
MISOMISO DPP-2026 Definitive Planning Phase application deadline
Attachment X of the tariff and BPM-015.
2027-09-10confirmed source
FERCFERC 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 yetunconfirmed source
FERCFERC RM26-4 — generic large-load rulemaking
Still at ANOPR stage.
No date published yetconfirmed source
FERCGeorgia 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 yetconfirmed 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
ProjectTypeCapacityStatusFiledQueue
4PURO - 4HAVANA3 138.0kVSolar320 MWactive2022-09MISO
Powerton 345kVWind208 MWwithdrawn2010-08PJM
Indian CreekSolar200 MWwithdrawn2024-04MISO
PuroWind200 MWactive2022-09MISO
Mason 138kVSolar200 MWwithdrawn2022-09MISO
WinnebagoWind200 MWwithdrawn2024-04MISO
QuiverWind200 MWactive2024-04MISO
Havana - Shockey 138 kV Line TapWind188 MWcompleted2019-04MISO
4HAVANA2 - 4CINCINATTI 138.0kVSolar180 MWactive2022-09MISO
Havana-Shockey (138kV)Solar150 MWwithdrawn2022-09MISO
Mason Substation 138 kV BusWind144 MWcompleted2018-03MISO
CaneSolar142 MWactive2022-09MISO
QuiverSolar136 MWwithdrawn2025-05MISO
Mason 138 kV SubstationWind58 MWcompleted2019-04MISO
Cane 138 kVSolar52 MWwithdrawn2022-09MISO

How Mason County compares

#361 in the US · #18 in IL

Mason County ranks #361 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #18 of 64 in Illinois.

CountyWaitingCapacity queued
Lee County126.4 GW
Will County54.3 GW
McLean County112.9 GW
Ogle County52.9 GW
LaSalle County72.8 GW
Christian County82.3 GW
Peoria County72.1 GW
Tazewell County101.9 GW

Common questions about power in Mason County

How long does it take to get power for a data center in Mason County, IL?

The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Mason County is 4.1 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 3 projects in Mason County have reached energization and 10 were withdrawn, so the withdrawal rate here is a better guide to risk than any single quoted timeline.

How much capacity is available in Mason County, IL?

1.0 GW is currently requested across 5 active interconnection requests, and 391 MW 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 Mason County, IL 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 Illinois policy page.

Where does the data on this page come from?

The interconnection queue published by the transmission providers serving Mason County — MISO — parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Every figure carries the date it was true. Data as of 14 October 2026.

Go deeper on Mason 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 Mason County on the map County reports All of Illinois