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Weekly recap · Sep 14 – 19, 2026

$50K/MW Bonds Oct. 8 Price 266 GW to Dec. 10

Texas interconnection now prices posted capital and documentary survival on the same clock, and operators still treating either gate as paperwork will carry forfeited security and idle site cost into year-end.

The week in briefings

  1. Mon Sep 14Rowan's $4.2B Cleared Water and Power; One Zoning Vote Remains Sept. 17
  2. Tue Sep 15Gov. Abbott Puts Class C and Permit Risk on the Oct. 14 Clock
  3. Wed Sep 16DataBank CEO: Opposition Is Election-Tier as 24-Mo Texas Deals Still Ship
  4. Thu Sep 17Documentary Survival Now Prices 266 GW Energization to Dec. 10
  5. Fri Sep 18Senate Block Leaves Large-Load Cost Rules to PUCT Timing and Early Filers
  6. Sat Sep 19PUCT Locks $50K/MW Study Bond Into 16 TAC 25.194, Effective Oct 8

Study Security and the December Screen

The Public Utility Commission of Texas adopted 16 TAC §25.194 on September 18, effective October 8. Before ERCOT includes a large-load customer in an interconnection study, the customer must execute an intermediate agreement, disclose load characteristics, and post $50,000 per MW. At energization the customer refreshes disclosures, posts additional security tied to direct costs, and pays contribution in aid of construction; withdrawal of requested peak demand carries stated forfeiture. The rule implements PURA §37.0561 under Senate Bill 6 and sits beside Governor Greg Abbott’s August 3 interconnection audit; it doesn’t replace it. Sat

ERCOT has locked new large-load approvals behind a two-stage verification gauntlet running through December. Jeff Billow briefed 266.4 GW of base load across 204 projects, roughly 107 GW of studied load, plus 15.4 GW paired on 11 bring-your-own-generation projects. Fail the verification RFI inside 10 business days and the project is removed. A parallel Community Impact RFI puts about 130 questions on water use and local tax credits to medium and large loads, with summary reports due to the Commission on December 10. Thu

The House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act 417-3; the Senate blocked companion action the same day, leaving large-load cost rules to state commissions with no federal floor. Texas developers should treat PUCT docket timing, financial-assurance language, and offtake structure as live site-selection variables now. Fri

Water Filings and Local Consent

Abbott directed the Texas Water Development Board to pursue legal consequences against data centers that fail to file water-use surveys, with Class C misdemeanor exposure, permit disqualification, and referral to county or district attorneys on the table. TWDB must report enforcement progress by October 14 and coordinate with ERCOT and the PUCT. Only about 28% of data centers answered the annual survey over the past three years. Tue

Capital still clears when water and power arrive first. Rowan Digital Infrastructure’s Temple campus is now $4.2B across three projects; five of six buildings are approved or under construction, with air-chilled closed-loop design and a commitment to fund about 45% of Temple’s $71.1M Synergy aquifer storage and recovery well. Mon

DataBank and Digital Realty pushed $1.2B in D-FW expansion on pre-cleared footprints after Labor Day. DataBank CEO Raul Martynek told The Dallas Morning News opposition is now election-tier even as deals locked 24 months ago still ship. Wed

Self-supplied power remains the schedule hedge. SemiAnalysis tracks 75 GW of firm behind-the-meter OEM orders, with roughly 20 GW ordered in Q2 2026 alone. Operators who permit generation and IT on the same clock keep energization dates; those still waiting on transmission queues carry capex with no load.

What to Watch

  • October 8 effective date for 16 TAC §25.194 and first $50,000/MW study-security posts
  • October 14 TWDB enforcement progress report under Abbott’s survey directive
  • December 10 PUCT summary reports on Community Impact RFIs covering the 266.4 GW base-load screen
  • Ten-business-day verification RFI clocks on leases, purchase orders, and site control for projects still seeking approval to energize