Data centers and new power in Galveston County, TX

3.1 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Galveston County, TX — 12 active requests. Typical wait: 2.3 years. 2 projects are built, 5 withdrawn.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 Galveston County itself — but we track the biggest ones nationally, and requests to connect new power here are on the public record.

Free. Your address is used for one distance and is not stored.

The power picture

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

3.1 GW
of new power is waiting to connect
12 projects asked. Not yet approved. Roughly what 2.5 million homes use.
520 MW
has actually been built
2 projects switched on so far.
2.3 yrs
typical wait to plug in

Where every request ever filed here ended up

  • Built 10%
  • Still waiting 60%
  • Withdrawn 25%
  • Paused 5%

Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on.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

What kind of power is asking to connect

  • Batteries 67%
  • Wind 33%
  • Natural gas 0%

By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.

All the numbers

20 requests ever filed
Pending applications
12
of 20 ever filed
Capacity queued
3.1 GW
requested, not committed
Already built
520 MW
2 projects connected
Built vs decided
28.6%
5 withdrawn
Median wait
2.3 yr
for applications still pending
Connected capacity
3.0 GW
indicator, see note

Source: interconnection queues published by ERCOT. 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
Built2520 MW10.0%
Still waiting123.1 GW60.0%
Withdrawn5822 MW25.0%
Paused1—5.0%

Waiting to connect, by type of power

TypeProjectsCapacity requested
Batteries102.1 GW
Wind11.0 GW
Natural gas114 MW

Key dates for projects here

no dated windows published
QueueWhat closesClosesStanding
ERCOTERCOT Batch 1 large load interconnection - applications not yet dated
Successor cycle to Batch Zero under PGRR145.
No date published yetconfirmed source
ERCOTERCOT generation interconnection — rolling
Not FERC-jurisdictional.
Open all year — no cut-offunconfirmed 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
ERCOTTexas SB 6 - large load curtailment protocol and equipment (PURA section 39.170(a))
All new large-load interconnections must carry ERCOT-controlled curtailment equipment.
Open all year — no cut-offconfirmed 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
Hecate Energy Jamaica WindWind1.0 GWactive2030-01ERCOT
Topaz Power PlantNatural gas510 MWcompleted2019-01ERCOT
Queue Power PlantNatural gas363 MWwithdrawn2019-01ERCOT
Red Egret BESSBatteries311 MWactive2024-01ERCOT
Shepard Energy StorageBatteries257 MWactive2025-01ERCOT
Zeya BESSBatteries255 MWactive2023-01ERCOT
VERTUS ENERGY STORAGEBatteries207 MWactive2026-01ERCOT
Hacienda StorageBatteries206 MWactive2023-01ERCOT
Vertus Energy Storage 2Batteries205 MWactive2028-01ERCOT
SOUTHERN SELECT ENERGY STORAGEBatteries205 MWactive2026-01ERCOT
Topaz Energy StorageOther202 MWwithdrawn2020-12ERCOT
Kresge Land Battery StorageBatteries200 MWactive2027-01ERCOT
BRP Zeya II BESSOther156 MWwithdrawn—ERCOT
Valcrest BESSBatteries154 MWactive2028-01ERCOT
Topaz 2 Energy StorageOther101 MWwithdrawn—ERCOT

How Galveston County compares

#107 in the US · #48 in TX

Galveston County ranks #107 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #48 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 Galveston County

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

The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Galveston County is 2.3 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 2 projects in Galveston 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 Galveston County, TX?

3.1 GW is currently requested across 12 active interconnection requests, and 520 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 Galveston 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 Galveston County — ERCOT — parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Every figure carries the date it was true. Data as of 14 October 2026.

Go deeper on Galveston 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 Galveston County on the map County reports All of Texas