Data centers and new power in Hill County, TX

8.0 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Hill County, TX — 23 active requests. Typical wait: 1.8 years. 9 projects are built, 11 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.

Live here?

Is one near your house?

We have not mapped a large AI data center inside Hill 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 Hill 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 Hill County right now.

8.0 GW
of new power is waiting to connect
23 projects asked. Not yet approved. Roughly what 6.4 million homes use.
1.7 GW
has actually been built
9 projects switched on so far.
1.8 yrs
typical wait to plug in

Where every request ever filed here ended up

  • Built 20%
  • Still waiting 50%
  • Withdrawn 24%
  • Paused 7%

Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on.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

What kind of power is asking to connect

  • Natural gas 51%
  • Batteries 26%
  • Solar 20%
  • Wind 4%

By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.

All the numbers

46 requests ever filed
Pending applications
23
of 46 ever filed
Capacity queued
8.0 GW
requested, not committed
Already built
1.7 GW
9 projects connected
Built vs decided
45.0%
11 withdrawn
Median wait
1.8 yr
for applications still pending
Connected capacity
1.5 GW
indicator, see note

Source: interconnection queues published by ERCOT. 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
Built91.7 GW19.6%
Still waiting238.0 GW50.0%
Withdrawn11874 MW23.9%
Paused3—6.5%

Waiting to connect, by type of power

TypeProjectsCapacity requested
Natural gas34.1 GW
Batteries92.0 GW
Solar91.6 GW
Wind2331 MW

Key dates for projects here

no dated windows published
QueueWhat closesClosesStanding
ERCOTERCOT Batch 1 large load interconnection - applications not yet dated
Successor cycle to Batch Zero under PGRR145.
No date published yetconfirmed source
ERCOTERCOT generation interconnection — rolling
Not FERC-jurisdictional.
Open all year — no cut-offunconfirmed source
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
ERCOTTexas SB 6 - large load curtailment protocol and equipment (PURA section 39.170(a))
All new large-load interconnections must carry ERCOT-controlled curtailment equipment.
Open all year — no cut-offconfirmed 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 15 by size
ProjectTypeCapacityStatusFiledQueue
Bullock GasNatural gas1.4 GWactive2033-01ERCOT
Liberty Thermal Energy CenterNatural gas1.4 GWactive2033-01ERCOT
NRG Prairie Energy CenterNatural gas1.3 GWactive2029-01ERCOT
Seven Angels Energy Storage IBatteries514 MWactive2028-01ERCOT
Seven Angels Energy Storage IIBatteries514 MWactive2028-01ERCOT
Ash Creek SolarSolar418 MWcompleted2019-07ERCOT
Compadre SolarSolar406 MWactive2024-01ERCOT
Blue Skies BESSBatteries306 MWactive2025-01ERCOT
Aquilla Lake 3 WindWind297 MWactive2022-01ERCOT
Sun Valley SolarSolar252 MWcompleted2018-03ERCOT
Aquilla Lake 3 Wind (Alternative POI Oncor 138KV)Wind226 MWsuspended2023-08ERCOT
Aquilla Lake 3 Wind ( Alternative POI Oncor 345kV)Wind226 MWsuspended2023-09ERCOT
Mercury SolarSolar206 MWcompleted2019-02ERCOT
Mercury II SolarSolar206 MWcompleted2021-01ERCOT
Mercury Solar IIISolar204 MWactive2024-01ERCOT

How Hill County compares

#15 in the US · #6 in TX

Hill County ranks #15 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #6 of 183 in Texas.

CountyWaitingCapacity queued
Pecos County5521.2 GW
Brazoria County5511.7 GW
Milam County339.2 GW
Wharton County409.1 GW
Jack County188.6 GW
Reeves County217.8 GW
Wilbarger County207.0 GW
Mitchell County166.9 GW

Common questions about power in Hill County

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

The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Hill County is 1.8 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 9 projects in Hill County have reached energization and 11 were withdrawn, so the withdrawal rate here is a better guide to risk than any single quoted timeline.

How much capacity is available in Hill County, TX?

8.0 GW is currently requested across 23 active interconnection requests, and 1.7 GW 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 Hill County, TX 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 Texas policy page.

Where does the data on this page come from?

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

Go deeper on Hill 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 Hill County on the map County reports All of Texas