ERCOT, the operator of Texas's electricity grid, has delayed the first transmission-planning study for new large-load grid connections, effectively freezing new data-centre hookups, while it works out how much of its enormous connection queue reflects genuine demand.

The numbers: pending interconnection requests now total roughly 474 gigawatts, up from about 48GW in 2023, a tenfold increase in three years. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has described the queue as "more than five times" the state's record peak electricity demand, with around 90 percent of the new requests coming from data centres.

The core problem: ERCOT and other US grid operators have said openly that data-centre load forecasts are frequently inflated by speculative projects, developers reserving a grid connection "just in case," without a signed tenant or secured financing behind the number. ERCOT requested a formal exemption from Texas's Public Utility Commission on its usual planning timelines specifically to sort real commitments from placeholders before committing to new infrastructure.

The bottom line: the freeze and the 474GW figure are both real and confirmed by ERCOT and Texas officials. Worth watching whether the eventual, sorted figure is a fraction of that headline number.