Data centers and new power in Jefferson County, OR

4.2 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Jefferson County, OR — 21 active requests. Typical wait: 3.4 years. 5 projects are built, 56 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.

Live here?

Is one near your house?

We have not mapped a large AI data center inside Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County right now.

4.2 GW
of new power is waiting to connect
21 projects asked. Not yet approved. Roughly what 3.4 million homes use.
28 MW
has actually been built
5 projects switched on so far.
3.4 yrs
typical wait to plug in

Where every request ever filed here ended up

  • Built 6%
  • Still waiting 23%
  • Withdrawn 62%
  • Paused 9%

Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on.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

What kind of power is asking to connect

  • Solar 76%
  • Wind 24%

By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.

All the numbers

90 requests ever filed
Pending applications
21
of 90 ever filed
Capacity queued
4.2 GW
requested, not committed
Already built
28 MW
5 projects connected
Built vs decided
8.2%
56 withdrawn
Median wait
3.4 yr
for applications still pending
Connected capacity
532 MW
indicator, see note

Source: interconnection queues published by PGE, PacifiCorp. 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
Built528 MW5.6%
Still waiting214.2 GW23.3%
Withdrawn568.6 GW62.2%
Paused8—8.9%

Waiting to connect, by type of power

TypeProjectsCapacity requested
Solar173.2 GW
Wind41.0 GW

Key dates for projects here

no dated windows published
QueueWhat closesClosesStanding
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
G0758Solar1.4 GWwithdrawn2022-06BPA
1100MW GrizzlyNatural gas1.1 GWwithdrawn2000-08BPA
G0583Solar1.0 GWwithdrawn2018-03BPA
23-230Solar1.0 GWwithdrawn2023-03PGE
23-233Solar800 MWactive2023-06PGE
23-234Solar800 MWactive2023-06PGE
23-229Solar750 MWactive2023-03PGE
G1061Solar600 MWwithdrawn2023-12BPA
23-235Solar513 MWwithdrawn2023-07PGE
23-236Solar513 MWwithdrawn2023-08PGE
22-109Solar400 MWwithdrawn2022-03PGE
07-022Wind375 MWsuspended2007-09PGE
07-023Wind375 MWsuspended2007-09PGE
G0579Solar250 MWwithdrawn2017-12BPA
21-098Solar250 MWactive2021-04PGE

How Jefferson County compares

#70 in the US · #6 in OR

Jefferson County ranks #70 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #6 of 31 in Oregon.

CountyWaitingCapacity queued
Sherman County2611.4 GW
Wasco County188.6 GW
Morrow County226.6 GW
Crook County316.3 GW
Klamath County135.0 GW
Umatilla County163.5 GW
Gilliam County143.2 GW
Lake County202.8 GW

Common questions about power in Jefferson County

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

The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Jefferson County is 3.4 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 5 projects in Jefferson County have reached energization and 56 were withdrawn, so the withdrawal rate here is a better guide to risk than any single quoted timeline.

How much capacity is available in Jefferson County, OR?

4.2 GW is currently requested across 21 active interconnection requests, and 28 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 Jefferson County, OR 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 Oregon policy page.

Where does the data on this page come from?

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

Go deeper on Jefferson 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 Jefferson County on the map County reports All of Oregon