Austin / San Antonio
The municipal utilities insulate it somewhat (CPS is not an Oncor-style TDSP), but ERCOT's pause and the TCEQ halt still bind. Sub-75 MW deployments are the near-term lane, and that is exactly the size of Austin's inquiries.
#1 secondary market in the Americas [Cushman & Wakefield, 2026 Global Data Center Market Comparison (Americas rankings) (2026-05)]
Power and the queue
- CPS Energy lists about 26.1 GW of requested large-load capacity across 59 projects. [CPS Energy: Large Load Growth presentation (2026-11-05)]
- Austin Energy has 13 potential data center inquiries totaling 664 MW, none above 75 MW. [City of Austin memo: 60-day update on data center regulations (via KXAN) (2026-10); Austin Politics: Austin's first data center rules could get a council vote Dec. 3 (2026-10)]
- ERCOT's 75 MW+ data center energization pause applies, and reports are due Dec 10, 2026. [ERCOT presentation to PUCT: Batch Zero verification and audit, community impact review (2026-08-20)]
Notable projects owners where public
No verified public item yet. This is a gap we are working on.
Regulatory posture incentives, moratoria, zoning, water, large-load rules
- Austin's first data center rules could get a City Council vote on Dec 3, 2026. [Austin Politics: Austin's first data center rules could get a council vote Dec. 3 (2026-10)]
- Statewide: the TCEQ permit halt (Sep 21) and a governor-elect pledging a moratorium. [Office of the Texas Governor: Governor Abbott directs TCEQ to halt data center permits (2026-09-21); DCD: Anti-data center candidates claim victory across the US in 2026 midterm elections (2026-11-04)]
Pending legislation and actions 2 items
| Date | Jurisdiction | Item | Status | Impact | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-04 | Texas state | Governor-elect pledge: statutory moratoriumuncertain Gina Hinojosa (elected Nov 3) campaigned on an immediate moratorium lasting until the Legislature passes protections. BMI says the pause could plausibly extend into late 2027. | proposed | high | [DCD: Anti-data center candidates claim victory across the US in 2026 midterm elections (2026-11-04)] |
| 2026-12-03 | Austin city | First data center rules (council vote expected Dec 3)uncertain A city memo lays out the rules. Austin Energy has 13 inquiries totaling 664 MW. | pending | medium | [Austin Politics: Austin's first data center rules could get a council vote Dec. 3 (2026-10)] |
In force / enacted 4 items
| Date | Jurisdiction | Item | Status | Impact | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-21 | Texas state | Governor directive: TCEQ to halt data center permits TCEQ is to issue no permits for infrastructure directly supporting data centers until ERCOT's audit is complete. TCEQ reported compliance on Oct 19, and a watchdog says some permits still advanced. | in force | high | [Office of the Texas Governor: Governor Abbott directs TCEQ to halt data center permits (2026-09-21)] |
| 2026-08-03 | Texas state | Governor directive: comprehensive data center audit (ERCOT Batch Zero) PUCT/ERCOT must verify and audit data centers in the interconnection queue. ERCOT is not approving energization of new data center and crypto loads of 75 MW or more until the audit is complete. Verification and community-impact reports are due Dec 10, 2026. | in force | high | [Office of the Texas Governor: Governor Abbott directs comprehensive data center audit (2026-08-03)] |
| 2026-06-23 | Hays County county | Hays County Commissioners Court resolution creating an 'emergency water protection review period'uncertain County reviewing data center/high-water-use project applications via new task force and checklist Duration: 180-day emergency water protection review period, through 2026-12-31 per tracker | in force | high | [https://www.statesman.com/business/technology/article/hays-county-data-center-approval-pau] |
| 2025-06-20 | Texas state | SB 6 (89R, 2025) Requires PUCT/ERCOT large-load planning and interconnection standards; applies to large loads at a default 75 MW single-site threshold; addresses interconnection studies, cost allocation, co-location, and emergency curtailment | enacted | high | [SB 6 (89R, 2025) primary source (2025-06-20)] |
Pricing & supply snapshot directional
MW Desk estimate / directional range, Q4 2026
Asking-rate bands below are MW Desk directional estimates in USD per kW-month. They are rounded ranges, not quoted rates, and they go stale quickly.
- Retail colo (roughly 0–250 kW): $145–345/kW-mo
- Wholesale (roughly 250 kW–4 MW): $105–235/kW-mo
- Large / hyperscale blocks (roughly 4 MW+): $95–195/kW-mo
- Vacancy band: under 0.5% (extremely tight)
- Commissioned inventory (directional): ~0.8–1.3 GW
- Available power (directional): ~0–20 MW
- Under construction: ~5–50 MW
- Planned pipeline: ~3.7–4.4 GW
- Absorption: strong positive absorption
- Power / timing: Immediate powered shell is scarce; expect multi-year waits for net-new large-load service in constrained pockets.
Blends Austin and San Antonio asking-rate bands into one Texas triangle view.
Indicative only. Ranges are rounded and adjusted directional estimates, not quoted asking rates or a survey. Confirm with brokers and operators before acting. Source data ages quickly.
TJ field notes
Coming soon: TJ's on-the-ground notes on this market. Expect what the queue really looks like, which sites can actually get power, and what the brokers aren't saying.
Slot reserved for TJ's detailed market report.