Data centers and new power in El Paso County, TX

1.7 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in El Paso County, TX — 11 active requests. Typical wait: 2.5 years. 1 projects are built, 5 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.

Live here?

Is one near your house?

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

1.7 GW
of new power is waiting to connect
11 projects asked. Not yet approved. Roughly what 1.4 million homes use.
420 MW
has actually been built
1 projects switched on so far.
2.5 yrs
typical wait to plug in

Where every request ever filed here ended up

  • Built 6%
  • Still waiting 65%
  • Withdrawn 29%

Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on.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

What kind of power is asking to connect

  • Solar 59%
  • Batteries 41%

By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.

All the numbers

17 requests ever filed
Pending applications
11
of 17 ever filed
Capacity queued
1.7 GW
requested, not committed
Already built
420 MW
1 projects connected
Built vs decided
16.7%
5 withdrawn
Median wait
2.5 yr
for applications still pending
Connected capacity
1.9 GW
indicator, see note

Source: interconnection queues published by EPE. 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
Built1420 MW5.9%
Still waiting111.7 GW64.7%
Withdrawn51.9 GW29.4%
Paused0—0.0%

Waiting to connect, by type of power

TypeProjectsCapacity requested
Solar7997 MW
Batteries4700 MW

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
Pi1000GNatural gas1.0 GWwithdrawn2025-06EPE
Montana Units 1-4 (Gas)Natural gas420 MWcompleted2012-03EPE
EPE Gen - MegellanNatural gas348 MWwithdrawn2011-01EPE
EPE Gen - CalienteNatural gas348 MWwithdrawn2011-02EPE
Ca-CO-250BBatteries250 MWactive2025-06EPE
Co200BBatteries200 MWactive2024-03EPE
Wi-Al-199SBSolar199 MWactive2025-06EPE
Wi-Al2-199SBSolar199 MWactive2025-06EPE
Wi-Al3-199SBSolar199 MWactive2025-06EPE
N200S PV ProjectSolar170 MWwithdrawn2017-03EPE
Sf150SBSolar150 MWactive2024-03EPE
Ea150BBatteries150 MWactive2025-06EPE
SS100SSolar100 MWactive2022-09EPE
Ne100BBatteries100 MWactive2024-03EPE
Ne100SSolar100 MWactive2024-03EPE

How El Paso County compares

#229 in the US · #88 in TX

El Paso County ranks #229 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #88 of 183 in Texas.

CountyWaitingCapacity queued
Pecos County5521.2 GW
Brazoria County5511.7 GW
Milam County339.2 GW
Wharton County409.1 GW
Jack County188.6 GW
Hill County238.0 GW
Reeves County217.8 GW
Wilbarger County207.0 GW

Common questions about power in El Paso County

How long does it take to get power for a data center in El Paso County, TX?

The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in El Paso County is 2.5 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 1 projects in El Paso County have reached energization and 5 were withdrawn, so the withdrawal rate here is a better guide to risk than any single quoted timeline.

How much capacity is available in El Paso County, TX?

1.7 GW is currently requested across 11 active interconnection requests, and 420 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 El Paso County, TX 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 Texas policy page.

Where does the data on this page come from?

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

Go deeper on El Paso 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 El Paso County on the map County reports All of Texas