Long-term AI leases are financing data center construction across ERCOT. Electricity demand grows as developers connect to the grid, install computing equipment, and ramp operations. For generators and retailers, phase dates and customer ramps determine the timing and volume of demand that will hit the system.

Development extends from Dallas–Fort Worth into West Texas, the Panhandle, and the Central Texas I-35 Corridor. As of October 21, Modo tracks 92 GW of advanced planning data center load requesting grid access in ERCOT. These projects are heavily phased which will determine delivery and ultimate power supply.

Key takeaways

• Modo Energy tracks 92 GW of data center projects requesting or already grid-connected across ERCOT: 11 GW operating-expanding, 12 GW under construction, 15 GW committed and 54 GW proposed.
  
• Pecos and Longhorn plan dedicated gas generation of 2.7 GW and 1.3 GW, respectively. Microsoft’s 20-year Pecos agreement shows that developers are bringing large new demand to the grid, but with associated supply as well.
  
• Oncor’s 44 GW Batch Zero submission alone carries about $2 billion in customer security. A 1 GW connection requires at least $50 million in security at the interconnection agreement stage, potentially more for system upgrades, plus direct connection costs. Against the $30–40 billion it costs to build a 1 GW campus, that security is too small to show which projects are real.

​​Ask Ko

• How much of ERCOT's data center pipeline runs behind the meter?
• Which ERCOT counties carry the most data center capacity?
• How does ERCOT's data center buildout compare with PJM's