ERCOT

ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) operates the electric grid for approximately 90% of Texas, the largest US state electricity market. The organisation is the canonical example of AI-driven grid stress in the United States: its large-load interconnection queue reached 438 GW by 18 June 2026, with roughly 90% attributable to data centres, approximately 5x Texas's current peak demand of 85 GW. On the same date, the Texas Public Utility Commission approved ERCOT's first formal Batch Zero large-load interconnection study process; the final transmission plan is not due until autumn 2027, with Batch 1 applications opening summer 2027.

FERC reported in May 2026 that US summer generating capacity had increased by 75 GW since 2025, with ERCOT alone contributing approximately 26 GW of that addition, the largest single-grid contribution nationally. Despite this capacity build, PJM still triggered emergency protocols in mid-May, and the DOE issued a Section 202(c) curtailment order on 18 May 2026 granting PJM authority to switch off data centres during peak events. ERCOT's 26 GW addition demonstrably has not cleared its own large-load queue backlog; the gap between new supply and queued demand remains structural.

ERCOT is unusual in being isolated from the wider US grid, with limited interconnection capacity to neighbouring regions, which makes its demand-supply balance a localised rather than national problem. The organisation has faced criticism for under-investing in transmission capacity ahead of the AI infrastructure wave. The 2024 HB 1500 large-load notification bill introduced basic disclosure requirements; the Texas PUC's approval of ERCOT's Batch Zero study process on 18 June 2026 is the first formal step toward queue management reform, though a final transmission plan is not expected until autumn 2027.