The Texan: Abbott Calls for End to Data Center Builds in Rural Neighborhoods
July 2 — Abbott began in his speech to the crowd, “Before I talk about property taxes, let me talk about something else that I’m fighting for that dovetails right into fighting for East Texas values, and that is pushing back against these AI data centers that are trying to build in our neighborhoods.”
https://thetexan.news/state/texas-state-news/abbott-calls-for-end-to-data-center-builds-in-rural-areas/article_53a6dc4a-b717-4715-bd1a-e467b3ec51c4.html
Community Impact: Texas is heating up. Here are the systems involved in keeping the lights on.
July 2 — Frequently compared to an air traffic controller, ERCOT is tasked with ensuring the grid remains reliable by monitoring grid activities, ensuring supply and demand are balanced, guiding the system through grid emergencies, and facilitating a competitive retail electric market.
https://communityimpact.com/central-austin/government/texas-is-heating-up-here-are-the-systems-involved-in-keeping-the-lights-on/
Newsroom: (Press Release): Southwestern Public Service Co. awarded $113 million grant to improve electric reliability, reduce costs for Texas customers
July 1 — The grant, administered by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), funds three projects designed to strengthen the electric grid, improve reliability and minimize costs for more than 167,000 customers across the region.
https://newsroom.xcelenergy.com/news/southwestern-public-service-co-awarded-113-million-grant-to-improve-electric-reliability-reduce-costs-for-texas-customers
Spectrum News: Gov. Greg Abbott calls for ban on data center development in rural Texas neighborhoods
July 1 — Abbott’s push for a prohibition in rural neighborhoods appears to go further than a sweeping regulatory framework he unveiled early last month, which called for data centers to add new power generation to the grid, pay for their own infrastructure costs, reuse their own water and implement measures such as setbacks, among other proposals aimed at limiting their impact on residential communities.
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2026/07/01/gov–greg-abbott-calls-for-ban-on-data-center-development-in-rural-texas-neighborhoods
San Saba News: (Commentary) Friends of the San Saba Update on Senate 765kV July 29th Hearing
July 1 — The Texas Senate will hold a Hearing on July 29th about 765kV transmission lines. In addition, the Bell County East to Big Hill 765kV Transmission Line (Bell County East) Closing Briefs have been submitted to the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) Administrative Law Judges (ALJs).
https://www.sansabanews.com/news/friends-san-saba-foss-update-senate-765kv-july-29th-hearing
The Cool Down: Texas utilities push a summer challenge: Use less power than your neighbors, and get rewarded
July 1 — With air conditioners running harder in extreme heat, some companies are asking Texans to ease up during the hottest hours of the day and, in some cases, are comparing a household’s electricity use with that of its neighbors.
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-home/texas-utilities-power-conservation-offer/
The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter: What batch zero settles and what it leaves open
July 1, 2026 — Batch zero stops being theoretical on July 11. That is the day ERCOT’s rule for connecting large new customers takes effect.
https://www.texasenergyandpower.com/p/what-batch-zero-settles-and-what
ABC 7 News: Gov. Abbott announces $113 million grant to strengthen Xcel Energy grid in Texas Panhandle
June 30 — A key component of the project is a drone-based inspection program that will assess more than 273,000 utility poles throughout the SPS service territory to identify and address potential issues before they lead to outages.
https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/gov-greg-abbott-announces-113-million-grant-to-strengthen-xcel-energy-grid-in-texas-panhandle-public-utility-commission-outside-ercot-grant-program-thomas-gleeson-brad-baldridge-south-plains
Texas Insider: Governor Abbott Announces $8.8 Million In Grants For Electric Reliability In The South Plains
June 30 — Governor Greg Abbott announced a package of four Texas Energy Fund (TxEF) grants totaling more than $8.8 million to strengthen electric reliability for Lamb County Electric Cooperative, Inc. members in the South Plains. The grants will support several reliability projects including transmission line replacement, increasing transformer capacity, and modernizing aging infrastructure.
https://texasinsider.org/articles/governor-abbott-announces-8-8-million-in-grants-for-electric-reliability-in-the-south-plains
Texas Scorecard: Over-reliance on Wind and Solar Drives Permian Basin Energy Issues
June 30 — In response to lawmakers’ request for a pause on extra-high-voltage transmission lines, transmission service providers admitted reliance on wind and solar power, along with government intervention, is driving Permian Basin energy issues. This aligns with a third-party report that the lines are primarily built to support wind and solar, while local reliable generation alternatives were never fully examined.
https://texasscorecard.com/state/overabundance-of-wind-and-solar-drive-permian-basin-energy-issues/
Texas Energy and Power Newsletter: Gov. Abbott calls for data centers to lower costs
June 30 — Gov. Greg Abbott directed Texas electricity regulatory leaders earlier this month to ensure data centers not only pay their fair share of transmission upgrades, but also reduce costs for residential ratepayers. This prompted the Public Utility Commission to revisit a recommendation on cost allocation for large loads. The PUC and ERCOT have until July 17 to respond.
https://www.texasenergyandpower.com/p/gov-abbott-calls-for-data-centers
Office of the Governor: (Press Release) Governor Abbott Announces Nearly $30 Million In Grants For Electric Reliability In The Panhandle
June 29 — Governor Greg Abbott today announced a nearly $30 million Texas Energy Fund (TxEF) grant to strengthen electric reliability for Rita Blanca Electric Cooperative, Inc. (RBEC) members in the northwestern corner of the Texas Panhandle. The grant will help fund construction of a new substation, automation of an existing substation, transformer improvements, and upgrading wood poles to steel structures.
https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-nearly-30-million-in-grants-for-electric-reliability-in-the-panhandle
The National Law Review: Environ Energy Expands ERCOT Presence and Multifamily Portfolio with Infinity Power Partners Acquisition
June 29 — The acquisition also establishes a new “anchor segment” for Environ in the multifamily residential markets, adding a portfolio representing more than 1,400,000 units under contract across the United States.
https://natlawreview.com/press-releases/environ-energy-expands-ercot-presence-and-multifamily-portfolio-infinity
The Cool Down: 1,300 Texas landowners say they were shut out as power line route moved onto their property
June 29 — For some Central Texas landowners, the fight over a major transmission proposal began only after the process was already underway and their property had become part of the discussion.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/1-300-texas-landowners-were-050100952.html
San Antonio Express News: Texas ranch dispute highlights tensions over aging oil wells and who pays for cleanup
June 28 — There are thousands of oil and gas wells like these around Texas: low-producing wells leased by companies operating on a shoestring. About two-thirds of the active oil wells in Texas, or 99,000 wells, produce fewer than 10 barrels of oil a day, according to the state regulator. To remain active, they must produce at least five barrels for three consecutive months or at least one barrel for 12 consecutive months.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/texas-ranch-dispute-highlights-tensions-150000449.html
Sierra Club Pennsylvania: Data Centers: Even Worse Than You Think
June 27 — Data centers must deal with the huge quantities of heat generated by chips and servers running around the clock. Cooling systems may be based on air, water or chemicals. Some water-based systems use fresh water while others pass it through a continuous loop. Regardless of the design, very large amounts of water are involved, and data centers are being built in many places that are already stressed for water. Some cooling systems discharge large amounts of water containing chemical residues.
https://www.sierraclub.org/pennsylvania/blog/2026/06/data-centers-even-worse-you-think
KUT: Texas asked data centers to report their water use. Most of them didn’t respond
June 26 — Texas lawmakers are calling for the data center industry to be more transparent after it was revealed during a legislative hearing in Austin that the majority of the state’s data centers are not reporting their water usage.
https://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2026-06-26/texas-data-center-water-use-survey-legislature
Gadget Review: Hundreds of Data Centers Are Coming to Texas, and the State’s Plumbing May Not Be Ready
June 26 — Texas faces 439 gigawatts in grid requests and up to 161 billion gallons in annual water demand before planners wrote either into state policy.
https://www.gadgetreview.com/hundreds-of-data-centers-are-coming-to-texas-and-the-states-plumbing-may-not-be-ready
The Texas Lawbook: Dallas County Jury Clears Oncor in $270M Electric Shock Case
June 26 — A jury in Dallas County, after hearing nearly a week of testimony, determined a man who suffered severe and life-altering injuries after coming into contact with an Oncor utility line was a trespasser and was not entitled to any damages for his injuries.
https://texaslawbook.net/dallas-county-jury-clears-oncor-in-270m-electric-shock-case/
KETX: An unprecedented data center boom means new challenges for Texas. Find out what’s planned near you
June 26 — Developers and speculators had been buying up land across the state, looking to cash in on a chance to construct massive warehouses filled with computers to power artificial intelligence for companies such as Meta, Amazon and Google. Older, smaller data centers ran the Internet. Artificial intelligence and cloud computing demanded much more.
https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/an-unprecedented-data-center-boom-means-new-challenges-for-texas-find-out-whats-planned-near-you/
CAA: Houston investment in grid resilience gets first test
June 26 — A Houston investment that has been a decade in the making quietly reached the grid this month: NRG Energy brought new units at its TH Wharton peaker plant into commercial operations on May 26, becoming the first major new-build power plant assets NRG has opened in more than 10 years.
https://capitalanalyticsassociates.com/houston-investment-in-grid-resilience-gets-first-test/
Houston Chronicle: NRG starts up Houston peaker plant
June 26 — The power plant, located off the Sam Houston Parkway in the Willowbrook area, is a peaker plant — a power plant that operates one to two hours each day, acting as a shock absorber to the power grid — said Matt Pistner, the president of NRG Wholesale. As energy demand in Texas continues to surge, largely driven by new AI data centers, developers have looked toward Houston, the energy capital of the world, as a location for new sites.
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/houston-chronicle/20260626/281887305029570
Fox 34: Governor Abbott announces $8.8 million in grants for electric reliability in the South Plains
June 26 — Governor Greg Abbott announced a package of four Texas Energy Fund grants totaling more than $8.8 million to strengthen electric reliability for Lamb County Electric Cooperative, Inc. members in the South Plains. The grants will support several reliability projects including transmission line replacement, increasing transformer capacity, and modernizing aging infrastructure.
https://www.fox34.com/2026/06/26/governor-abbott-announces-88-million-grants-electric-reliability-south-plains/
Utility Dive: Texas landowners seek pause in $2B, 765-kV transmission line case over notice concerns
June 25 — The Permian Basin power line request says property owners were not properly notified after route changes. The build-out is tied to growing ERCOT grid needs.
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/texas-landowners-transmission-line-puc-oncor-lcra/823657/
Crypto Briefing? Bitcoin miners seen as beneficial for electric grid amid AI demand
June 25 — A study from the Duke University Nicholas Institute, released in early 2025, found that controllable loads like Bitcoin mining could support up to 76 GW of new electricity demand. That’s roughly 10% of peak load capacity across the US. The kicker: it would require minimal curtailment of just 0.25% annually.
https://cryptobriefing.com/bitcoin-miners-electric-grid-ai-demand/
Industry Insider: Texas Approves New ERCOT Process to Speed Data Center Grid Connections
June 25 — The Public Utility Commission has approved a new ERCOT process to sort through more than 438,000 megawatts of large-load interconnection requests.
https://insider.govtech.com/texas/news/texas-approves-new-ercot-process-to-speed-data-center-grid-connections
Dallas Express: Abbott Announces Texas Energy Fund Loan For New 860-Megawatt Power Project In West Texas
June 25 — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that a new Texas Energy Fund loan has been finalized to support the construction of an 860-megawatt natural gas power project in West Texas, a development expected to supply electricity to approximately 215,000 homes.
https://dallasexpress.com/state/abbott-announces-texas-energy-fund-loan-for-new-860-megawatt-power-project-in-west-texas/
Dallas Express; Abbott Awards $22M Texas Energy Fund Grants For Panhandle Electric Reliability
June 25 — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Wednesday that more than $22 million in grants have been awarded through the Texas Energy Fund to strengthen electric reliability in northeast Texas and the Panhandle.
https://dallasexpress.com/state/abbott-awards-22m-texas-energy-fund-grants-for-panhandle-electric-reliability/