Insight
Who’s building now — how to see it in filings
“Under construction” and “proposing” are filing facts before they are press facts. The named operator often lags the land entity. Read the case caption, then wait for a later document that names someone else.
Where the first public move usually is
These are illustrative public-process places, not a forecast that any one campus is pouring concrete:
- County rezoning, planned-area development, site plan, special exception — the packet and the hearing clock. When the county vote is the story.
- State commission paper — PUCT, SCC, and peers — when a large load, a CCN, or a cost allocation is the caption.
- ISO large-load process — ERCOT LLI / Batch Zero, PJM large-load / IRAS, SPP HILL. Queue-era facts.
- FERC 205 packages that name large load or a related tariff. The paper that binds.
- EDGAR 8-Ks that state interconnection, a material campus, or a power agreement. Reading an 8-K for power.
Teaching note: the named operator often lags the land entity or SPEX applicant. A row keyed on the LLC in the caption is not a finding that a cloud major is secretly the owner. Wait for the document that says so.
Mid-2026 ERCOT context (process, not gossip)
ERCOT’s June 18, 2026 Trending Topics PDF is the public contrast for “how much paper is in the queue”: more than 438,000 MW of proposed large-load connection requests, about 89–90% data centers, against an all-time peak demand record of 85,508 MW (August 10, 2023). Requests are not energization. Trending Topics PDF
August 2026 public materials add a process clock, not a rumor. ERCOT paused the Batch Zero study process, delayed final classification of large loads, and paused approvals to energize data-center and virtual currency mining facilities at 75 MW or greater while it runs a verification and community-impact review. The same August 20 PUCT presentation calendars a December 10 filing of the Batch Zero Eligibility Verification Report and Community Impact Review Report, then a December 17 Commission open meeting. That is a docket clock. It is not a finding that any named campus will or will not energize. Batch Zero Verification and Audit — PUCT presentation
Source: ERCOT, Trending Topics — new batch connection process (June 18, 2026): 85,508 MW all-time peak (Aug. 10, 2023); >438,000 MW proposed large-load requests (~89–90% data centers). Plotted as 85.5 GW vs 438 GW. Requests are not a peak and not an energized MW. Footnote 1.
The weekday product is the next document ID — not a construction camera. See pricing for the brief, or the queue and county explainers: queue rows and county votes.
Charts and facts on this page use cited public sources or labeled educational heuristics. They are not legal, engineering, or investment advice, and not a comps book. Confirm every number on the issuing agency or laboratory copy. Contact hello@wattbrief.com.
Sources
- ERCOT, Trending Topics: New Batch Connection Process for Large Electricity Users (June 18, 2026) — >438,000 MW proposed large-load requests; ~89–90% data centers; 85,508 MW peak (Aug. 10, 2023).
- ERCOT, Batch Zero Verification and Audit PUCT presentation (Aug. 20, 2026) — study pause and delayed final classification; pause on approvals to energize data-center and virtual-currency mining facilities ≥75 MW; December 10 Eligibility Verification Report and Community Impact Review Report; December 17 Commission open meeting.
Free charts and calculators. The weekday brief is still the product.