Data centers and new power in Custer County, NE

500 MW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Custer County, NE — 2 active requests. Typical wait: 9.9 years. 2 projects are built, 9 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.

Live here?

Is one near your house?

We have not mapped a large AI data center inside Custer County itself — but we track the biggest ones nationally, and requests to connect new power here are on the public record.

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The power picture

What is happening with electricity in Custer County

Every new power plant, battery or big customer has to join a waiting list before it can plug into the grid. This is what that list looks like in Custer County right now.

500 MW
of new power is waiting to connect
2 projects asked. Not yet approved. Roughly what 400,000 homes use.
155 MW
has actually been built
2 projects switched on so far.
9.9 yrs
typical wait to plug in

Where every request ever filed here ended up

  • Built 15%
  • Still waiting 15%
  • Withdrawn 69%

Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on. That is normal, not a warning sign for Custer County.

What kind of power is asking to connect

  • Wind 100%

By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.

All the numbers

13 requests ever filed
Pending applications
2
of 13 ever filed
Capacity queued
500 MW
requested, not committed
Already built
155 MW
2 projects connected
Built vs decided
18.2%
9 withdrawn
Median wait
9.9 yr
for applications still pending
Connected capacity
166 MW
indicator, see note

Source: interconnection queues published by BHP, SPP. Parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Data as of 14 October 2026. A queued project is a request, not a commitment.

Outcome of every request filed here

OutcomeProjectsCapacityShare
Built2155 MW15.4%
Still waiting2500 MW15.4%
Withdrawn91.2 GW69.2%
Paused0—0.0%

Waiting to connect, by type of power

TypeProjectsCapacity requested
Wind2500 MW

Key dates for projects here

no dated windows published
QueueWhat closesClosesStanding
FERCFERC large-load show cause — stakeholder comments on RTO responses
Comments on the six RTO/ISO responses to the FPA section 206 show-cause orders of 18 June 2026 (PJM EL26-67, SPP EL26-68, NYISO EL26-69, MISO EL26-70…
No date published yetunconfirmed source
FERCFERC RM26-4 — generic large-load rulemaking
Still at ANOPR stage.
No date published yetconfirmed source
FERCGeorgia PSC - Georgia Power must file large-load contracts 30 days before execution
A standing obligation rather than a dated one: large-load contracts must be filed with the commission at least 30 days before they are executed.
No date published yetconfirmed source
SPPSPP 2028 CPP Interconnection Cluster Study (ICS) application window
Definitive Interconnection System Impact Study cluster, post Order 2023 compliance.
No date published yetconfirmed source

A date marked confirmed was checked by a person against the authority's own tariff, order or form page. Anything else is listed so you know it exists, with a link so you can check it yourself. Full calendar.

The biggest projects on file

top 13 by size
ProjectTypeCapacityStatusFiledQueue
BHBE G13Wind300 MWactive2017-07BHP
GEN-2017-001Wind250 MWwithdrawn2016-12SPP
GEN-2023-133Wind250 MWwithdrawn2023-10SPP
GEN-2016-074Wind200 MWactive2016-04SPP
GEN-2024-233Wind150 MWwithdrawn2025-03SPP
GEN-2016-026Wind120 MWwithdrawn2016-03SPP
GEN-2006-038N006Wind100 MWwithdrawn2006-10SPP
GEN-2006-038N007Wind100 MWwithdrawn2006-10SPP
GEN-2016-025Wind100 MWwithdrawn2016-03SPP
GEN-2006-038N005Wind80 MWcompleted2006-10SPP
GEN-2006-037N1Wind75 MWcompleted2006-10SPP
GEN-2010-038Wind75 MWwithdrawn2010-08SPP
GEN-2012-039Wind75 MWwithdrawn2012-09SPP

How Custer County compares

#623 in the US · #5 in NE

Custer County ranks #623 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #5 of 25 in Nebraska.

CountyWaitingCapacity queued
Lancaster County173.3 GW
Cass County92.3 GW
Gage County61.5 GW
Burt County41.1 GW
Lincoln County2456 MW
Douglas County3450 MW
Washington County2300 MW
Sarpy County1273 MW

Common questions about power in Custer County

How long does it take to get power for a data center in Custer County, NE?

The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Custer County is 9.9 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 2 projects in Custer County have reached energization and 9 were withdrawn, so the withdrawal rate here is a better guide to risk than any single quoted timeline.

How much capacity is available in Custer County, NE?

500 MW is currently requested across 2 active interconnection requests, and 155 MW has actually been built. A queued megawatt is a request, not deliverable capacity — most queued projects are never built. For deliverable offtake capacity at a specific substation you need a utility study, not a queue.

Is Custer County, NE a good site for a data center?

This page gives you the power half of that answer: what is queued, what has been energized, how long the wait runs, and which large load interconnection requests are already recorded nearby. The other half — the state policy position, moratoriums and large load tariffs — is on our Nebraska policy page.

Where does the data on this page come from?

The interconnection queue published by the transmission providers serving Custer County — BHP, SPP — parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Every figure carries the date it was true. Data as of 14 October 2026.

Go deeper on Custer County

The interactive map plots every one of these applications, and a generated county report puts them in a sourced PDF with the date each figure was true on every page.

Open Custer County on the map County reports All of Nebraska