Data centers and new power in Howard County, TX

2.5 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Howard County, TX — 17 active requests. Typical wait: 1.8 years. 1 projects are built, 5 withdrawn.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 Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County right now.

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

Where every request ever filed here ended up

  • Built 4%
  • Still waiting 71%
  • Withdrawn 21%
  • Paused 4%

Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on.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

What kind of power is asking to connect

  • Batteries 67%
  • Solar 23%
  • Wind 10%

By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.

All the numbers

24 requests ever filed
Pending applications
17
of 24 ever filed
Capacity queued
2.5 GW
requested, not committed
Already built
16 MW
1 projects connected
Built vs decided
16.7%
5 withdrawn
Median wait
1.8 yr
for applications still pending
Connected capacity
657 MW
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
Built116 MW4.2%
Still waiting172.5 GW70.8%
Withdrawn5396 MW20.8%
Paused1—4.2%

Waiting to connect, by type of power

TypeProjectsCapacity requested
Batteries101.7 GW
Solar4566 MW
Wind3254 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
Infinium SolarSolar402 MWactive2029-01ERCOT
Crater BESSBatteries310 MWactive2022-01ERCOT
Bhalu StorageBatteries206 MWactive2026-01ERCOT
Les Energy StorageBatteries205 MWactive2025-01ERCOT
Midland Energy StorageBatteries205 MWactive2025-01ERCOT
Prospector Energy StorageBatteries205 MWactive2026-01ERCOT
Odessa Energy StorageBatteries203 MWactive2025-01ERCOT
Fairgreen BESSBatteries201 MWwithdrawn2022-09ERCOT
Rattlesnake Gap Wind SLFWind200 MWactive2029-01ERCOT
Prairie Blossom StorageBatteries122 MWactive2027-01ERCOT
Calf Creek StorageBatteries103 MWactive2027-01ERCOT
Luthor SolarSolar101 MWactive2025-01ERCOT
Ariji BESSBatteries100 MWactive2025-01ERCOT
Llano Estacado Energy StorageOther98 MWwithdrawn2022-04ERCOT
PRI SolarSolar64 MWactive2028-01ERCOT

How Howard County compares

#143 in the US · #58 in TX

Howard County ranks #143 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #58 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 Howard County

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

The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Howard County is 1.8 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 Howard 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 Howard County, TX?

2.5 GW is currently requested across 17 active interconnection requests, and 16 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County on the map County reports All of Texas