• ERCOT large-load requests climbed to 438 GW as of late May
• Underlying project details hazy
• 17 new gas generation plants applied for interconnection in last 60 days, amid a generation interconnection queue of 452 GW

ERCOT is now tracking about 438 GW of large-load interconnection requests, a figure that continues to underscore the scale of power demand tied to data centers and other new customers in Texas, though senior grid officials cautioned this week that the headline number says far less than it appears to.

Presenting to the ERCOT board, Vice President of Interconnection and Grid Analysis Jeff Billo said the total has risen by roughly 28 GW since the April board meeting, reaching 438 GW under the current PGRR115-based process.

But his presentation also noted that “the vast majority” of those requests do not yet have studies submitted, and more than 300 GW fall into that category. In many cases, ERCOT has only minimal information, such as requested megawatts, timing and basic location data, with no completed studies and in some cases not even a confirmed point of interconnection.

That means the large-load queue remains a broad indicator of interest rather than a dependable forecast of what will actually connect. Billo told board members that some requests may still be speculative, while others may simply be stuck in transmission-provider backlogs or still awaiting study work.

“We just don’t have a lot of information on these requests at this time,” he said.

Billo also suggested the 438 GW figure is nearing the end of its usefulness as a public metric. ERCOT’s current process for tracking large-load requests will end on July 10, after which the grid operator will move to a batch-based interconnection framework. As that shift takes hold, Billo said, “some of these numbers become a little bit less relevant,” and ERCOT expects to present different metrics going forward.

On the generation side, ERCOT tracks about 452 GW of generation interconnection requests overall, dominated by solar and battery projects. But Billo highlighted a recent increase in gas activity. Over the last 60 days, ERCOT has received 17 gas-generation interconnection requests spread across combined-cycle, combustion-turbine, reciprocating-engine and steam-turbine categories, nearly matching the 18 battery-storage applications received over the same period. Several of the gas requests are tied to large co-located loads, he said.

Billo closed by pointing to one concrete milestone amid the eye-popping queue figures: Pin Oak Peaking Energy Center 1 and 2, the 459 MW Freestone County combustion-turbine project owned by Calpine and Constellation Energy, has become the first Texas Energy Fund project to receive approval for commercial operation.

NPM Interconnection queue data identified 104 projects under development, across over 31 GW, in natural gas, solar, storage and onshore wind, that reached an advanced stage since the beginning of 2026.