ERCOT's interconnection queue holds 427 GW — 39% of all US queued load

CORRECTION (2026-10-02): This release said ERCOT's interconnection queue held 427 GW, "39% of all US queued load". The 39% was a ratio of ERCOT's large-load queue to a generation-queue total, not a share of US queued load, and is withdrawn. DC Hub's canonical ERCOT figures: large-load queue 474.0 GW (as of 2026-06, ERCOT-published); data-center portion 426.6 GW (derived: ~90% of the large-load total); generation interconnection queue 453.8 GW (as of 2026-09-30), a separate queue. A load queue and a generation queue must not be divided or added. Current figures: https://dchub.cloud/api/v1/interconnection-queue/snapshot

## The number

ERCOT's interconnection queue holds 427 GW of requested load, representing 39% of all queued capacity across US ISOs. Queue depth in Texas now signals multi-year wait times for energization, a constraint that must be priced into every greenfield site decision targeting the state.

## What it means for build decisions

New large loads in ERCOT — data centers, AI training clusters, industrial electrification — face extended timelines from application to power delivery. Developers banking on Texas for quick time-to-market now confront the same interconnection drag plaguing PJM and MISO. The queue backlog reflects both surging demand and finite transmission capacity to integrate new generation and load.

For hyperscalers and colocation operators, this implies:

- **Site selection**: Consider markets with shallower queues (e.g. SPP, WECC non-California) where interconnection studies and network upgrades clear faster.
- **Capex timing**: Factor 24-36+ months from site acquisition to power delivery in ERCOT, not 12-18.
- **Contracted power**: Pre-secured PPAs or behind-the-meter generation become table stakes to derisk schedule slippage.

## The second-order read

ERCOT's queue concentration — nearly 2 in 5 US gigawatts — reflects Texas's reputation as a deregulated, buildable market. But reputation now lags reality: the state's grid operator is processing requests faster than transmission can be built or generation interconnected. The delta between "easy to site" and "fast to power" is widening, and land speculators who assume ERCOT = speed are mispricing delay risk.

Source: ERCOT Interconnection Queue Report (https://www.ercot.com/misdownload/servlets/mirDownload?doclookupId=1233678977). Additional context: DC Hub Data Center Power Index (https://dchub.cloud/dcpi), updated daily.

Press inquiries: [email protected] · DC Hub MCP API: https://dchub.cloud/mcp