Miss December 10 and Grid-Tied CODs Slip Into 2027

Audit Gate Locks Draws and Batch Zero

Governor Greg Abbott’s August 3 large-load pause now carries a calendar. Mon, the gate that unlocks Batch Zero and restarts interconnections paused August 3. About 474 GW sits in the queue, roughly 90 percent data centers; roughly 6.6 GW that already cleared stability assessment stays blocked until the audit clears. Every month past that date is carrying cost, deferred tenant revenue, and generation contracts that can’t lock.

Tue. Above 75 MW, projects face Batch Zero eligibility checks; at or above 25 MW, community-impact collection applies. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s four-point plan sits on the same track, including support for Abbott’s disclosure regime and repeal of the sales-tax exemption. Contracts that don’t allocate audit delay among developers, customers, and power suppliers price idle capital into every draw schedule.

Private Generation Clears While Grid-Tied Waits

Self-supplied paths sit outside the hold. Sat with 35 turbines, land in hand, permits secured, and building applications filed for the first three data center structures. Nearly 90 GW of behind-the-meter projects have been announced nationwide since January 2025, including Microsoft’s pairing with Chevron in the same county.

Wed: a 1.2 GW Abilene Clean Campus, a 1 GW Childress site with Crusoe, and a Hall County path with QTS expected to draw more than $10B. Lancium cites 4 GW under lease and more than 15 GW of powered land in development; interconnection path, tranche timing, and committed demand decide what loads. Turbine and distribution iron still set the real clock: GE Vernova backlog and slot reservations hit 116 GW, with heavy-duty delivery running to 2031 on new orders. Operators sequencing 2027 energization without locked long-lead packages will watch generation sit dark.

Land, Water, and Local Rules Write the Interim Standard

Rural farmland is entering pipelines faster than agricultural operators can plan around it. Fri; a Stamford farmer lost 600 rented acres on 60 days’ notice. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller wants a one-year moratorium Abbott declined, plus agriculture freedom zones and produced-water cooling. Water sits inside the audit checklist for 25 MW and above: peak-month hydrographs, closed-loop design, and non-potable offsets now travel with the power file.

Thu, confining sites to industrial zones with a 500-foot buffer. Austin moved toward high-impact rules and extra review on water, noise, and heat. Out-of-state freezes and multi-agency sign-offs lengthen energization elsewhere; Texas still clears when operators file complete packages and treat county covenants as schedule items.

What to Watch

• December 10: ERCOT audit completion and Batch Zero unlock language for the 6.6 GW blocked cohort
• PUCT Control No. 58317: contested Need arguments on Oncor’s 765 kV dockets 59315 and 59029
• San Antonio code text comment window before final zoning standards lock
• Pre-2027 session filings on sales-tax treatment and any statutory guardrails Miller continues to press