Midday snapshot shows strongest build conditions in Mountain West and Great Plains corridors as constraint pressure remains moderate across both markets.
## Highlights
Cheyenne, Wyoming holds the highest excess-power score in the WECC region at 69.5 points, with constraint pressure at 22.5 points as of 16 June 2026. Rural SPP (Kansas) follows closely at 67.2 excess with identical 22.5-point constraint load. Both markets show favorable capacity-to-load ratios relative to their grid constraints, signaling low interconnection friction for new load.
## What it means
For capacity planners, Cheyenne represents the cleanest entry point in the West right now: excess capacity nearly three times the constraint score suggests queue velocity and interconnection timelines are materially faster than coastal or Midwest markets. Rural SPP's similar reading indicates the Great Plains corridor remains open for distributed AI and compute load, with less of the permitting drag typical in SPP's metro zones. The 22.5-point constraint floor across both markets is notably stable, suggesting neither region faces imminent transmission saturation.
## Second-order implication
The convergence of Cheyenne and rural SPP at similar excess-to-constraint ratios implies buildable capacity is shifting away from primary hubs (Denver, Kansas City) toward smaller-footprint, less-contested markets. Developers with 50–200 MW requirements can expect faster land acquisition and grid interconnection in both zones compared to six months ago. Conversely, sites in constraint-heavy corridors (Los Angeles Basin, North Texas load pockets) face extended queue wait and higher per-MW capex for grid upgrades.
## Methodology
The DC Hub Power Index (DCPI) excess-power score reflects available generation capacity relative to peak demand; constraint scores measure transmission bottleneck severity. Higher excess with lower constraint = favorable build environment. Data updated daily across 280+ markets and 7 ISOs.
**Source:** DC Hub Data Center Power Index (https://dchub.cloud/dcpi). Updated daily.
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