State · Infrastructure

Texas grid agencies ask lawmakers for more data center authority

Following Gov. Abbott's June directive, PUCT and ERCOT outline cost and reliability steps already underway and request new statutory tools for large computational loads.

High-voltage transmission towers and power lines stretching across an open rural plain at sunset beside a two-lane road

Houston Public Media reported on July 28, 2026, that the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT are asking state lawmakers for expanded authority over data centers after Gov. Greg Abbott's June directive on grid costs and customer protections. PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson's response letter describes steps already taken on interconnection, transmission-cost review, and forecasting, plus legislative asks for direct emergency communication with large loads, mandatory registration, and extending Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act coverage to large computational load owners. Those legislative requests are proposals, not enacted law.