---
title: "Data Centers in Texas Statistics 2026: Grid Queue, Tax and Water"
date: 2026-10-14
author: "Brad Nickel"
featured_image: "https://tricitylocalnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/data-centers-texas-statistics-v2.jpg"
categories:
  - name: "Cloud"
    url: "/cloud.md"
tags:
  - name: "Statistics"
    url: "/tag/statistics.md"
---

# Data Centers in Texas Statistics 2026: Grid Queue, Tax and Water

ERCOT is tracking approximately **474 GW** of large loads seeking interconnection to the Texas grid as of June 2026. Approximately **90%** of those new power requests come from data centers in Texas. Governor Greg Abbott’s office puts those requests at more than five times Texas’ record peak electricity demand for ERCOT.

On **August 3, 2026**, Governor Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to audit all data centers advancing through ERCOT’s interconnection process before any data center project moves forward. ERCOT has since conditionally classified **204** projects (**66.4 GW**) as base load and **158** projects (**127.9 GW**) as studied load.

## Key Takeaways

- ERCOT’s large-load queue stood at an implied **232 GW** at the end of 2025 and reached approximately **474 GW** by June 2026, about **2.0 times** that level.
- Batch Zero conditionally classified **194.3 GW** of large loads as base or studied load, about **41%** of the approximately 474 GW of requests ERCOT tracks.
- Aterio Texas data analyzed by the Baker Institute holds **1,188** facility records: **228** active, **152** under construction and **749** announced.
- JLL counts **26 GW** of existing and under-construction capacity in Texas, followed by Virginia at **13 GW**.
- The Comptroller estimates revenue losses of **$1.305 billion** in 2026 from the data center sales-tax exemption, implying about **$20.88 billion** of exempt purchases at the **6.25%** state rate.
- HARC says existing data centers in Texas consume an estimated **25 billion gallons** of water annually, a figure that could rise to between **29 billion gallons** and **161 billion gallons** per year by 2030.

## Editor’s Choice

- **Record grid peak:** **85,508 MW** of ERCOT Region demand, set on August 10, 2023, the all-time peak as of April 2026.
- **Preliminary 2032 load forecast:** **367,790 MW** of total demand in the ERCOT Region.
- **Google’s Texas investment:** **$40 billion**, bringing three new data center campuses to the state, announced November 14, 2025.
- **Estimated 2026 investment:** **$66.2 billion** in annual Texas data center investment, per the Baker Institute.
- **Large-load threshold:** **75 megawatts**, unless the commission determines a lower threshold is necessary.
- **Abilene campus IT power:** **421 MW** current and **843 MW** projected for OpenAI Stargate Abilene, per Epoch AI estimates.

## Texas Data Center Count by Development Stage

- The current Aterio Texas subset analyzed by the Rice University Baker Institute contains **1,188** data center facility records.
- **228** of those records are active and **152** are under construction, a combined **380** facilities operating or being built.
- Announced projects make up **749** records, about **63%** of the subset.

| Facility status | Facility records |
|---|---|
| Announced | 749 |
| Active | 228 |
| Under construction | 152 |
| Delayed | 38 |
| Not approved or withdrawn | 16 |
| Land-bank projects | 4 |
| Canceled | 1 |
| Total | 1,188 |

*Source: Rice University Baker Institute, Aterio facility data, 2026*

### About This Data

- Compiled from 15 publications: 4 ERCOT presentations, 1 ERCOT load-forecast filing with the PUCT, 2 releases from the Texas Governor’s office, 1 Comptroller program page, the enrolled text of the state’s large-load bill, 1 Rice University Baker Institute working paper, 1 HARC white paper release, 1 JLL release, 2 CBRE publications and Epoch AI’s data center tracker.
- Sources date from 2025 (the enrolled bill, a CBRE first-half 2025 market profile and Google’s November 2025 announcement) to October 2026.
- Only state agencies, the grid operator, legislative text, independent research and company releases qualified; paid market-research reports were excluded.
- Figures are reviewed on a rolling basis and updated when sources publish new editions.

### How many data centers are in Texas?

Aterio data analyzed by the Baker Institute counts **228** active Texas data center facility records, **152** under construction and **749** announced. JLL measures capacity instead, at **26 GW** of existing and under-construction capacity in Texas. A facility record, a gigawatt total and a metro megawatt figure measure different things, so the three are not interchangeable.

## Data Centers in Texas vs Other Markets

- Dallas-Fort Worth held **1,432.8 MW** of data center inventory in CBRE Research’s Q2 2026 data, behind Northern Virginia at **4,496.5 MW** and Atlanta at **1,803.2 MW**.
- Northern Virginia’s inventory is about **3.1 times** that of Dallas-Fort Worth.
- Vacancy across North America’s primary markets held steady at **1.4%**.
- Total [data center supply](/data-center-statistics/) across North America’s primary markets grew **33.7%** year over year.
- Net absorption increased by nearly **12%** to **1,456 MW**.

 INVENTORY · Source: CBRE Research, Q2 2026   INVENTORY    CBRE Research · Q2 2026 Data Center Inventory by Market, H1 2026 (MW)         Northern Virginia  4,496.5 Atlanta  1,803.2 Dallas-Fort Worth  1,432.8 Phoenix  1,069.2 Chicago  910.6 Silicon Valley  509.2 Hillsboro, OR  491.4 New York/Tri-State  190.0  0 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K   SOURCE CBRE Research, Q2 2026    View the data| Market | Value (MW) |
|---|---|
| Northern Virginia | 4,496.5 |
| Atlanta | 1,803.2 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 1,432.8 |
| Phoenix | 1,069.2 |
| Chicago | 910.6 |
| Silicon Valley | 509.2 |
| Hillsboro, OR | 491.4 |
| New York/Tri-State | 190.0 |





JLL, measuring at the state level, says Texas has **26 GW** of existing and under-construction capacity, followed by Virginia at **13 GW**. JLL’s totals include capacity still being built, while CBRE’s count metro inventory, so the gap between Texas and [data centers in Virginia](/data-centers-in-virginia/) depends on which measure a reader uses. The same scope question applies to any ranking of the [largest data centers in the US](/largest-data-centers-us/).

| JLL measure, H1 2026 | Gigawatts |
|---|---|
| Texas existing and under-construction capacity | 26 |
| Virginia existing and under-construction capacity | 13 |
| North America capacity under construction | 66 |
| North America absorption, first half of 2026 | 25 |

*Source: JLL, August 2026*

## Recent Developments

- **September 14-15, 2026:** ERCOT told its board it had provided conditional classification for all Batch Zero large loads.
- **August 20, 2026:** ERCOT presented its Batch Zero verification and audit process and a community impact review process at the PUCT open meeting.
- **August 11, 2026:** JLL reported that North America data center demand reached an all-time high in the first half of 2026, with **25 GW** of absorption.
- **August 10, 2026:** ERCOT filed with the PUCT a request for three good cause exceptions for PGRR 145, along with a status update on related matters.
- **August 3, 2026:** ERCOT issued a Market Notice pausing the Batch Zero study process and paused approvals to energize data centers or crypto facilities of **75 MW** or greater.
- **July 29, 2026:** ERCOT told the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce it is tracking approximately **474 GW** of large loads seeking interconnection.

## ERCOT Large Load Interconnection Queue

- ERCOT received **198** new Large Load Interconnection requests in Q1 2026.
- The queue grew by **178 GW** from the end of 2025 through Q1 2026.
- By June 2026 ERCOT was tracking approximately **474 GW** of large loads, with data centers at about **90%**.
- That is about **2.0 times** the implied **232 GW** queue at the end of 2025.
- That total is about **5.5 times** ERCOT’s **85,508 MW** all-time peak demand as of April 2026.

| Snapshot | Large-load requests (GW) | Data center share |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 (ERCOT board, April 2026) | ~410 | ~87% |
| June 2026 (ERCOT Senate update, July 2026) | approximately 474 | ~90% |
| August 2026 (Governor’s office) | over 474 | approximately 90% |

*Source: ERCOT and Office of the Texas Governor, 2026*

### How much power do Texas data centers want from the grid?

ERCOT is tracking approximately **474 GW** of large loads seeking interconnection, and about **90%** of them are data centers. As of April 2026, the ERCOT Region’s all-time peak demand was **85,508 MW**. A request is a place in the queue, not connected load, and data center projects also face the state-ordered verification and audit before they move forward.

## Batch Zero and the Texas Data Center Audit

- ERCOT conditionally classified **158** projects as studied load and **204** projects as base load.
- Those classes sit against approximately **474 GW** of large-load requests tracked as of June 2026.
- Together the two classes hold **194.3 GW**, about **41%** of the large-load requests ERCOT tracks.
- Batch Zero covers large loads of **75 MW** or greater under PGRR 145, and ERCOT paused the study process on **August 3, 2026**.

 GIGAWATTS · Source: ERCOT, July and September 2026   GIGAWATTS    ERCOT · 2026 ERCOT Large-Load Requests vs Batch Zero Classes (GW)         Large-load requests, June 2026 (approximately)  474 Batch Zero studied load  127.9 Batch Zero base load  66.4  0 100 200 300 400 500   SOURCE ERCOT, July and September 2026    View the data| Load category | Value (GW) |
|---|---|
| Large-load requests, June 2026 (approximately) | 474 |
| Batch Zero studied load | 127.9 |
| Batch Zero base load | 66.4 |





> **By the numbers:** ERCOT has conditionally classified **362** Batch Zero projects as base or studied load. ERCOT says the verification and audit process will have a TBD impact on the Batch Zero process and timeline. The share describes the whole queue, not a pass rate, because eligibility criteria decided which requests entered the batch.

### What is Batch Zero?

Batch Zero is ERCOT’s one-time transitional study of the reliability impacts of large loads, defined as **75 MW** or greater, that seek to interconnect to the ERCOT system and meet eligibility criteria under Planning Guide Revision Request (PGRR) 145. ERCOT paused the study process to address Governor Abbott’s **August 3, 2026** directive.

## Texas Grid Demand Forecast and Data Center Load

- ERCOT’s preliminary Long-Term Load Forecast projects approximately **278,003 MW** of total demand in the ERCOT Region by 2029 and **367,790 MW** by 2032.
- The 2032 figure is about **4.3 times** ERCOT’s all-time peak demand as of April 2026.
- ERCOT attributes the vast majority of the 2029 and 2032 load forecast to Large Loads identified in transmission and distribution service provider load submissions.
- The Texas forecast is one part of the wider [data center energy consumption](/data-center-energy-consumption-statistics/) picture.

 MEGAWATTS · Source: ERCOT preliminary Long-Term Load Forecast filed with the PUCT, 2026   MEGAWATTS    ERCOT · 2026 ERCOT Peak Demand vs Preliminary Load Forecast (MW)         Record peak as of April 2026 (set August 10, 2023)  85,508 Summer 2026 peak, low end of ERCOT range (approximately)  90,500 Summer 2026 peak, high end of ERCOT range  98,000 Preliminary forecast, 2029 (approximately)  278,003 Preliminary forecast, 2032  367,790  0 80K 160K 240K 320K 400K   SOURCE ERCOT preliminary Long-Term Load Forecast filed with the PUCT, 2026    View the data| Measure | Value (MW) |
|---|---|
| Record peak as of April 2026 (set August 10, 2023) | 85,508 |
| Summer 2026 peak, low end of ERCOT range (approximately) | 90,500 |
| Summer 2026 peak, high end of ERCOT range | 98,000 |
| Preliminary forecast, 2029 (approximately) | 278,003 |
| Preliminary forecast, 2032 | 367,790 |





> **Worth noting:** ERCOT has concerns with using the preliminary load forecast values for the Reliability Assessment and any other transmission and resource adequacy analysis, and would prefer to consult with PUCT staff about seeking an adjustment. In its April 2026 load-forecast filing, ERCOT projected summer 2026 peak load within a range of approximately **90,500 MW** to **98,000 MW**.

## SB 6 Large Load Rules for Texas Data Centers

- Under Senate Bill 6, the commission shall establish a demand threshold of **75 megawatts** unless the commission determines that a lower threshold is necessary.
- The act covers the planning for, interconnection and operation of, and costs related to providing service for certain electrical loads.
- A power generation company, municipally owned utility or electric cooperative must notify ERCOT’s independent organization before net metering a stand-alone generation resource registered as of September 1, 2025, with a new large load customer.
- Governor Abbott’s [audit order](https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-directs-comprehensive-data-center-audit) says any project that fails to comply with PUCT and ERCOT requirements will be denied connection to the Texas grid.

| Rule | Threshold or date | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Large-load demand threshold (lower if the commission decides) | 75 MW | Texas Legislature |
| Batch Zero large-load definition | 75 MW or greater | ERCOT |
| Pause on energizing data centers and crypto facilities | 75 MW or greater | ERCOT, August 3, 2026 |
| Net metering notice for existing stand-alone generators | Registered as of September 1, 2025 | Texas Legislature |

*Source: Texas Legislature, 2025; ERCOT, 2026*

## Data Center Investment in Texas

- Baker Institute analysis estimates annual Texas data center investment will rise from approximately **$3.4 billion** in 2022 to **$66.2 billion** in 2026.
- The 2026 estimate is about **27%** above the **$52.1 billion** estimated for 2025.
- The estimate allocates reported project costs of active and under-construction facilities over time.
- Google announced a **$40 billion** investment in Texas on November 14, 2025, which will bring three new data center campuses to the state and boost [cloud and AI infrastructure](/cloud-computing-statistics/).
- Governor Abbott’s office called it Google’s largest investment in any state in the U.S.
- National [data center construction spending](/data-center-construction-statistics/) figures give the wider context for these Texas estimates.

 ESTIMATED INVESTMENT · Source: Rice University Baker Institute, 2026   ESTIMATED INVESTMENT    Rice University · 2026 Estimated Texas Data Center Investment by Year ($ billions)          80 60 40 20 0   3.4 2022  18.5 2024  52.1 2025  66.2 2026    SOURCE Rice University Baker Institute, 2026    View the data| Year | $ billions |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 3.4 |
| 2024 | 18.5 |
| 2025 | 52.1 |
| 2026 | 66.2 |





## Texas Data Center Sales Tax Exemption

- A qualifying data center, as the [Texas Comptroller](https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/data-centers/) defines it, is a Texas facility of at least **100,000 square feet** specifically constructed or refurbished to house servers and related equipment.
- Qualifying items are temporarily exempt from the **6.25%** state sales and use tax, while local sales and use taxes are still due.
- The exemption runs **10 years** from certification for a capital investment of at least **$200 million** but less than **$250 million** within the first five years, and **15 years** for at least **$250 million**.
- The Comptroller’s revenue-loss estimate reaches **$1.753 billion** by 2030, about **73%** above its fiscal 2025 estimate.
- Dividing the **$1.305 billion** 2026 estimate by the 6.25% state rate implies about **$20.88 billion** of exempt purchases in 2026.

 ESTIMATED REVENUE LOSS · Source: Texas Comptroller estimates via Rice University Baker Institute, 2026   ESTIMATED REVENUE LOSS    Texas Comptroller · 2026 Texas Data Center Sales Tax Exemption Cost ($ billions)          2 1.5 1 0.5 0   1.016 Fiscal 2025  1.305 2026  1.753 2030    SOURCE Texas Comptroller estimates via Rice University Baker Institute, 2026    View the data| Period | $ billions |
|---|---|
| Fiscal 2025 | 1.016 |
| 2026 | 1.305 |
| 2030 | 1.753 |





> **Key finding:** Baker Institute analysis divides the Comptroller’s estimates by the **6.25%** state sales-tax rate to imply **$16.25 billion** of exempt purchases in 2025 and **$28.05 billion** in 2030. The 2025 implied purchases are approximately **31%** of the **$52.1 billion** investment estimate, and the paper finds investment estimates broadly consistent with the Comptroller’s forecast.

### How much does the Texas data center tax break cost?

The Comptroller estimates revenue losses of **$1.016 billion** in fiscal 2025, **$1.305 billion** in 2026 and **$1.753 billion** by 2030. The exemption covers only the state sales and use tax, so local sales and use taxes are due on purchases of qualifying items.

## Texas Data Center Property Tax Base

- Baker Institute analysis puts the industry’s current tax base at approximately **$39.79 billion** in market value and **$32.18 billion** in taxable value.
- The **$7.61 billion** difference implies that taxable value is **80.9%** of market value.
- The paper treats that gap as a screen for exemptions, value limitations and abatements, not a count of agreements.
- The Comptroller’s June 2026 survey covered **117** of **253** appraisal districts and stated that the partial response substantially understated statewide value.

 VALUE · Source: Rice University Baker Institute; Texas Comptroller survey, 2026   VALUE    Rice University · 2026 Texas Data Center Property Value, 2026 ($ billions)         Market value, Baker Institute estimate  39.79 Market value, Comptroller survey of 117 districts  33.65 Taxable value, Baker Institute estimate  32.18  0 8 16 24 32 40   SOURCE Rice University Baker Institute; Texas Comptroller survey, 2026    View the data| Measure | $ billions |
|---|---|
| Market value, Baker Institute estimate | 39.79 |
| Market value, Comptroller survey of 117 districts | 33.65 |
| Taxable value, Baker Institute estimate | 32.18 |





## Texas Data Center Water Use

- Existing data centers in Texas consume an estimated **25 billion gallons** of water annually for electricity generation and cooling systems, according to a January 21, 2026 HARC white paper.
- By 2030 that figure could rise to as much as **161 billion gallons** per year, potentially representing up to **2.7%** of the state’s total water use.
- The upper end is about **6.4 times** today’s estimated use.
- HARC says the Texas State Water Plan relies largely on historical data and does not currently account for the growth of data centers.
- Governor Abbott’s August 3, 2026 audit directive asks for projected annual and peak water consumption, anticipated sources of water supply and the cooling technology each facility will use.

 BILLION GALLONS PER YEAR · Source: Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), January 2026   BILLION GALLONS PER YEAR    Houston Advanced Research Center · 2026 Texas Data Center Water Use Estimates (billion gallons)         Existing data centers, current estimate  25 2030 outlook, low end  29 2030 outlook, high end  161  0 40 80 120 160 200   SOURCE Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), January 2026    View the data| Estimate | Billion gallons |
|---|---|
| Existing data centers, current estimate | 25 |
| 2030 outlook, low end | 29 |
| 2030 outlook, high end | 161 |





### How much water do Texas data centers use?

HARC says existing data centers in Texas consume an estimated **25 billion gallons** of water a year for electricity generation and cooling, a figure that could rise to between **29 billion gallons** and **161 billion gallons** per year by 2030. National [data center water usage](/data-center-water-usage-statistics/) estimates use different scopes, so compare them with care.

## Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin-San Antonio Data Center Markets

- Dallas-Fort Worth had **39.6 MW** of available capacity in CBRE Research’s Q2 2026 data, about **2.8%** of its **1,432.8 MW** inventory.
- Under-construction activity in Austin-San Antonio totaled **462.0 MW** in CBRE’s first-half 2025 market profile.
- Developers are focused on the northeast suburbs of Austin for available land served by Oncor, and interest has pushed activity south of Austin into Lower Colorado River Authority territory.
- Regional utility providers are receiving historically large power requests.
- The Austin-San Antonio figures date from the first half of 2025, so they are more than 12 months old.

| Measure | Market | Period | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory (MW) | Dallas-Fort Worth | H1 2026 | 1,432.8 |
| Available capacity (MW) | Dallas-Fort Worth | H1 2026 | 39.6 |
| Under construction (MW) | Austin-San Antonio | H1 2025 | 462.0 |
| Under construction preleased (%) | Austin-San Antonio | H1 2025 | 97 |
| Colocation vacancy (%) | Austin-San Antonio | H1 2025 | 2.3 |

*Source: CBRE Research, H1 2025 and Q2 2026*

## Stargate Abilene Data Center Statistics

- Epoch AI estimates the OpenAI Stargate Abilene campus has **421 MW** of current IT power, with **843 MW** projected.
- Projected IT power is about **2.0 times** the current level.
- Epoch AI puts the projected cost at **$31.9 billion**.
- Epoch AI lists Nvidia B200 and Nvidia B300 hardware and an air-cooled chiller for the site.
- Stargate Abilene is a Texas example of the [AI data center build-out](/ai-data-centers/), and its figures are third-party estimates rather than company disclosures.

| Metric | Current | Projected |
|---|---|---|
| IT power (MW) | 421 | 843 |
| Compute (H100-equivalents) | 509,000 | 1,019,000 |
| Cost ($ billions) | 15.9 | 31.9 |

*Source: Epoch AI, October 2026*

## Conclusion

ERCOT is tracking approximately **474 GW** of large loads seeking interconnection, and about **90%** of them are data centers. Batch Zero has conditionally classified **194.3 GW** of that load, while existing data centers in Texas already consume an estimated **25 billion gallons** of water annually. The gap between requested and conditionally classified load is the figure to watch, because no Batch Zero classification is final and energization approvals for large data centers are paused.

ERCOT says the verification and audit process will have a TBD impact on the Batch Zero timeline, and it has concerns with using its preliminary load forecast values for transmission and resource adequacy analysis. Final Batch Zero classifications and any adjusted load forecast will show how much of the queue becomes connected demand, and which communities carry the water and tax costs.