Texas orders audit of data center grid hookups, potentially boosting value of existing AI and Bitcoin sites
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the Public Utility Commission of Texas and grid operator ERCOT to audit all data center projects awaiting approval to connect to the grid, a move expected to weigh mainly on speculative projects that have not yet been cleared. With data center proposals making up about 90% of ERCOT’s 474 gigawatts interconnection queue, restrictions on new connections could make existing AI campuses and Bitcoin mining facilities more valuable. Bitcoin miners have signed more than 20 AI infrastructure deals totaling about 8 gigawatts of contracted power capacity, with an estimated $160 billion in total contract value.