Texas Confronts the Gap Between Hyperscale Ambition and Grid Reality

AEP Texas added 23 GW to its hyperscaler pipeline in four months, bringing the state's signed data center load to 36 GW under letters of agreement. The utility openly admits it cannot connect most of these facilities near-term, exposing the widening chasm between developer commitments and actual transmission and generation capacity. While NRG orders 5.5 GW of gas turbines and industry leaders call data center load the "controlling element" on ERCOT, Hays County's top official is moving to freeze water-heavy industrial projects and San Marcos votes Tuesday on a $1.5 billion campus that already failed once. The collision between signed gigawatts, infrastructure constraints, and local water politics is no longer theoretical: it's defining Texas siting decisions in real time.