Data centers and new power in Hidalgo County, TX
4.7 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Hidalgo County, TX — 25 active requests. Typical wait: 2.8 years. 14 projects are built, 16 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.
Is one near your house?
We have not mapped a large AI data center inside Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on.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 Hidalgo County.
What kind of power is asking to connect
By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.
All the numbers
61 requests ever filed
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
| Outcome | Projects | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built | 14 | 1.2 GW | 23.0% |
| Still waiting | 25 | 4.7 GW | 41.0% |
| Withdrawn | 16 | 2.2 GW | 26.2% |
| Paused | 6 | — | 9.8% |
Waiting to connect, by type of power
| Type | Projects | Capacity requested |
|---|---|---|
| Batteries | 19 | 2.6 GW |
| Natural gas | 1 | 1.2 GW |
| Solar | 4 | 724 MW |
| Wind | 1 | 234 MW |
Key dates for projects here
no dated windows published
| Queue | What closes | Closes | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERCOT | ERCOT Batch 1 large load interconnection - applications not yet dated Successor cycle to Batch Zero under PGRR145. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
| ERCOT | ERCOT generation interconnection — rolling Not FERC-jurisdictional. | Open all year — no cut-off | unconfirmed 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 |
| ERCOT | Texas 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-off | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anawa La Gas | Natural gas | 1.2 GW | active | 2028-01 | ERCOT |
| Frontera Energy Center | Natural gas | 524 MW | completed | 2022-03 | ERCOT |
| Grapefruit Solar | Solar | 291 MW | active | 2027-01 | ERCOT |
| Buenos Aires 2 W | Wind | 237 MW | withdrawn | 2017-03 | ERCOT |
| La Joya I Wind | Wind | 237 MW | withdrawn | 2017-09 | ERCOT |
| La Joya II Wind | Wind | 237 MW | withdrawn | 2017-09 | ERCOT |
| Monte Cristo II Wind | Wind | 234 MW | active | 2019-01 | ERCOT |
| Mercedes II BESS | Batteries | 228 MW | withdrawn | 2023-05 | ERCOT |
| Buenos Aires 1 Wind | Wind | 222 MW | withdrawn | 2017-03 | ERCOT |
| Val Vista Grid BESS 2 | Batteries | 211 MW | active | 2024-01 | ERCOT |
| Val Vista Grid BESS 1 | Batteries | 209 MW | active | 2022-01 | ERCOT |
| Anemoi Energy Storage | Other | 205 MW | completed | 2021-09 | ERCOT |
| Citrus Grove Energy Storage | Batteries | 205 MW | suspended | 2022-11 | ERCOT |
| McMEXICO STORAGE | Batteries | 202 MW | active | 2025-01 | ERCOT |
| Jerboa Storage | Other | 201 MW | withdrawn | 2022-12 | ERCOT |
How Hidalgo County compares
#58 in the US · #25 in TX
Hidalgo County ranks #58 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #25 of 183 in Texas.
| County | Waiting | Capacity queued |
|---|---|---|
| Pecos County | 55 | 21.2 GW |
| Brazoria County | 55 | 11.7 GW |
| Milam County | 33 | 9.2 GW |
| Wharton County | 40 | 9.1 GW |
| Jack County | 18 | 8.6 GW |
| Hill County | 23 | 8.0 GW |
| Reeves County | 21 | 7.8 GW |
| Wilbarger County | 20 | 7.0 GW |
Common questions about power in Hidalgo County
How long does it take to get power for a data center in Hidalgo County, TX?
The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Hidalgo County is 2.8 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 14 projects in Hidalgo County have reached energization and 16 were withdrawn, so the withdrawal rate here is a better guide to risk than any single quoted timeline.
How much capacity is available in Hidalgo County, TX?
4.7 GW is currently requested across 25 active interconnection requests, and 1.2 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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.