Data centers and new power in Zapata County, TX
6.3 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Zapata County, TX — 27 active requests. Typical wait: 2.8 years. 4 projects are built, 5 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.
Is one near your house?
We have not mapped a large AI data center inside Zapata 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 Zapata 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 Zapata 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Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on.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 Zapata County.
What kind of power is asking to connect
By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.
All the numbers
37 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 | 4 | 239 MW | 10.8% |
| Still waiting | 27 | 6.3 GW | 73.0% |
| Withdrawn | 5 | 1.1 GW | 13.5% |
| Paused | 1 | — | 2.7% |
Waiting to connect, by type of power
| Type | Projects | Capacity requested |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 10 | 2.3 GW |
| Batteries | 8 | 2.0 GW |
| Wind | 9 | 2.0 GW |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon BESS | Batteries | 517 MW | active | 2029-01 | ERCOT |
| Falcon Solar | Solar | 502 MW | active | 2028-01 | ERCOT |
| Freedom Falcon BESS | Batteries | 502 MW | active | 2026-01 | ERCOT |
| Vaquero 1 Wind | Wind | 400 MW | active | 2017-01 | ERCOT |
| Zapata II W | Wind | 400 MW | withdrawn | 2016-01 | ERCOT |
| Tetris Solar | Solar | 359 MW | active | 2028-01 | ERCOT |
| Tetris Solar (Alternative POI) | Solar | 359 MW | suspended | 2023-07 | ERCOT |
| Saturn 1 Wind | Wind | 300 MW | withdrawn | 2019-07 | ERCOT |
| Sierra Madre Solar | Solar | 255 MW | active | 2023-01 | ERCOT |
| Rancho Grande Solar | Solar | 252 MW | active | 2028-01 | ERCOT |
| La Morena Energy Center BESS | Batteries | 250 MW | active | 2030-01 | ERCOT |
| La Morena Energy Center Solar | Solar | 250 MW | active | 2030-01 | ERCOT |
| Reloj Del Sol Wind | Wind | 209 MW | completed | 2015-03 | ERCOT |
| Wallflower Energy Storage | Batteries | 209 MW | active | 2030-01 | ERCOT |
| Vaquero 2 Wind | Wind | 202 MW | withdrawn | 2018-03 | ERCOT |
How Zapata County compares
#38 in the US · #14 in TX
Zapata County ranks #38 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #14 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 Zapata County
How long does it take to get power for a data center in Zapata County, TX?
The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Zapata 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. 4 projects in Zapata 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 Zapata County, TX?
6.3 GW is currently requested across 27 active interconnection requests, and 239 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 Zapata 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 Zapata 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 Zapata 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.