Texas Governor Greg Abbott has halted new data center development until audits are completed, according to an announcement on Monday. All new projects will be reviewed by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the state's grid operator, ERCOT.
The move follows a sharp rise in grid connection requests. ERCOT's interconnection queue grew from 233 gigawatts in January to 474 gigawatts by early August, with about 90% of those requests attributed to data centers.
Abbott has directed regulators to collect information on proposed data centers, including electricity and water demand, noise mitigation, light controls, tax incentives and ownership details. The governor had previously tried a voluntary survey, but most developers did not respond.
Officials have warned that even a fraction of the proposed projects could overwhelm the grid, as the queue represents more than five times ERCOT's peak demand.