Data centers and new power in Washington

46.1 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Washington — 190 requests across 30 counties. That is the 7th largest amount of any state. 45 projects are built, 526 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.

The power picture

What is happening with electricity in Washington

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 Washington right now.

46.1 GW
of new power is waiting to connect
190 projects asked. Not yet approved. Roughly what 36.8 million homes use.
4.9 GW
has actually been built
45 projects switched on so far.
526
projects gave up
Withdrawn before being built. Normal nationally.

Where every request ever filed here ended up

  • Built 6%
  • Still waiting 24%
  • Withdrawn 67%
  • Paused 3%

Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on.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

What kind of power is asking to connect

  • Solar 60%
  • Wind 17%
  • Batteries 15%
  • Natural gas 5%
  • Nuclear 3%
  • Other 1%

By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.

All the numbers

786 requests ever filed
Waiting to connect
190
of 786 ever filed
Capacity requested
46.1 GW
asked for, not approved
Already built
4.9 GW
45 switched on
Built vs decided
7.9%
526 withdrawn
Counties involved
30
with five or more requests
Big new power users
49.6 GW
261 requests

Source: the interconnection queues of every transmission provider operating in Washington. Parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Data as of 14 October 2026. A queued project is a request, not a commitment.

Waiting to connect, by type of power

TypeProjectsCapacity requested
Solar8527.4 GW
Wind388.0 GW
Batteries426.8 GW
Natural gas92.2 GW
Nuclear21.3 GW
Other5282 MW
Hydro585 MW
Biomass445 MW

Who runs the waiting list in Washington

Grid operator or utilityRequestsCapacity pending
BPA39737.2 GW
Avista1433.8 GW
PSE1342.8 GW
GrantPUD91.2 GW
PacifiCorp96858 MW
CPUD3100 MW
TPU10 MW
PGE20 MW
IP10 MW

Counties in Washington

30 with power on the waiting list

Every county with at least five requests on file. Open one to check an address, or see the schools near any mapped data center.

CountyWaitingCapacity queuedAlready built
Benton County2010.9 GW1.7 GW
Yakima County146.5 GW0 MW
Klickitat County236.2 GW1.1 GW
Douglas County83.6 GW345 MW
Grant County123.5 GW260 MW
Lincoln County92.0 GW0 MW
Lewis County41.6 GW137 MW
Spokane County11973 MW8 MW
Adams County9920 MW167 MW
Garfield County3775 MW0 MW
Grays Harbor County3704 MW0 MW
Cowlitz County3624 MW0 MW
Skagit County5589 MW146 MW
Whatcom County4588 MW41 MW
Columbia County4557 MW234 MW
Clark County6549 MW0 MW
Walla Walla County4513 MW519 MW
Kittitas County4512 MW117 MW
Franklin County7459 MW0 MW
Thurston County2427 MW0 MW
Whitman County2420 MW101 MW
Pierce County3401 MW0 MW
King County3386 MW33 MW
Mason County2304 MW0 MW
Kitsap County1170 MW0 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.

Big new power users asking to connect

261 requests · 49.6 GW

Requests to connect large new customers — data centers, factories, electrification — rather than power plants.

RequestCapacityCountyStatusQueue
Open Range3.3 GWAdams CountyactiveBPA
DOE Data Center2.8 GWBenton CountyactiveBPA
CAC Green H2 Facility1.6 GWColumbia CountywithdrawnBPA
Lakeside Industries1.3 GWKlickitat CountyactiveBPA
McNary 230 kV Looped1.3 GWUmatillaactiveBPA
SSP-Sunset1.2 GWYakima CountyactiveBPA
Second 1200 MW Data Center Load1.2 GWWalla Walla CountyactiveBPA
1200 MW Data Center Loads1.2 GWWalla Walla CountyactiveBPA
PSE Cherry Point1.2 GWWhatcom CountywithdrawnBPA
Lake Placid Phase 31.0 GWAdams CountyactiveBPA
Vines Rest 1000 MW1.0 GWKlickitat CountyactiveBPA
Energizer II1.0 GWKlickitat CountyactiveBPA
Dallesport Server Farm1.0 GWKlickitat CountyactiveBPA
Two Rivers 230 kV1.0 GWUmatillaactiveBPA
Marion-Chemawa1.0 GWMarionactiveBPA

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