Permian Basin, TX

July 7, 2026

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The Permian Gets Texas's First 765 kV Backbone, and CREZ Wrote the Playbook

In April 2025, the Public Utility Commission of Texas approved a $13.8 billion, 765-kilovolt transmission strategy for the Permian Basin, ERCOT's first extra-high-voltage backbone, betting deliberately that transmission corridors drive site selection the way CREZ accidentally did for wind and later data centers.

June 23, 2026

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The Deliverable Megawatt Wins: Microsoft Locks 20 Years of Pecos Gas

Greenfield builds architected for liquid cooling from day one in the Permian Basin or West Texas now have a credible near-zero-water path; late movers retrofit at a premium and face stricter water scrutiny.

June 9, 2026

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Deliverable Demand Is the New Dividing Line in ERCOT's Queue

ERCOT enters summer 2026 with North America's largest reserve margin and 58 GW of new on-peak capacity additions, but NERC flags western ERCOT (Permian Basin) transmission as a binding constraint.

April 5, 2026

Chevron and Microsoft signed an exclusivity agreement to negotiate a 2.5-to-5 GW colocated gas-and-compute campus in the Permian Basin.

March 13, 2026

The PUC's $13-14 billion Permian Basin Reliability Plan calls for 260 transmission lines by 2038, anchored by three 765 kV lines, the highest-capacity in the state.

February 12, 2026

Operators relying on behind-the-meter wells or private water contracts face new disclosure obligations that could complicate site selection in drought-prone West Texas, the Permian Basin, and Central Texas.

February 7, 2026

In the Permian Basin, Natura Resources (holding the first federal construction permit for a liquid-fueled molten salt reactor) is partnering with NGL Water Solutions to pair a 100-MWe reactor with thermal desalination of produced water, a power-and-water play targeting Texas's twin bottlenecks.