ERCOT Market Notice M-A080326-01 — Update Regarding Batch Zero Timelines and Processes
Governor Abbott directed ERCOT to verify data-centre Large Loads before interconnection; ERCOT missed the 2026-08-07 Batch Zero classification deadline and sought a PUCT good-cause exception (Planning Guide §5, §9) ahead of the 2026-08-20 open meeting.
ERCOT Market Notice M-A080326-01 (2026-08-03)
Lead
Subject: "Update Regarding Batch Zero Timelines and Processes."
Governor Greg Abbott directed ERCOT to conduct a verification process before advancing any data center Large Loads through the interconnection process. As a direct consequence, ERCOT states:
"ERCOT will not notify each Interconnecting Distribution Service Provider and Transmission Service Provider of how any Large Load is classified in the Batch Zero Interconnection Study by August 7, 2026."
ERCOT said it would file a request with the Public Utility Commission of Texas for a good-cause exception to the timelines and processes in Planning Guide Sections 5 and 9, ahead of the PUCT's 2026-08-20 open meeting.
Contacts given: Large Load Working Group ([email protected]); Client Services (512) 248-3900.
Key facts
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Notice number | M-A080326-01 |
| Date | 2026-08-03 |
| Deadline missed | 2026-08-07 (Batch Zero classification notifications) |
| Remedy sought | PUCT good-cause exception, Planning Guide §5 and §9 |
| PUCT open meeting | 2026-08-20 |
| Cause | Gubernatorial directive to verify data-centre Large Loads first |
Why it matters to this rung
The rung's only other source counts the backlog (the 7 GW shortfall analysis). This is the backlog being stopped by a governor — a different mechanism entirely. Most buildout arithmetic rests on an unstated premise that if interconnection is slow elsewhere, you build in Texas. A discretionary, political verification gate ahead of the queue is a falsifier for that premise, and it is the newest binding constraint on the rung.
It also shows up downstream: the EIA's September 2026 STEO press release (ingested alongside this, eia-steo-record-generation-2026-2027.md) explicitly references "a pause in new data center projects in Texas" while still naming West South Central the largest regional contributor to sales growth. Read the pair together or neither is worth much.
Limitations — read carefully
- This notice is short and procedural. It states the directive, the missed deadline and the filing. It does not quantify affected load, name projects, or say how long verification takes.
- The ~474 GW large-load queue figure (~90% data centres, June 2026) is NOT in this notice. The kb-proposals card flagged it as unverified, sourced from ERCOT hearing material. It remains unverified here and must not be attributed to this document.
- A missed notification deadline is not a cancellation. Nothing here says any Large Load was rejected. Treat this as a timing and discretion change, not as capacity removed.
- The outcome of the 2026-08-20 PUCT meeting is not covered by this notice and needs separate primary confirmation before any claim about what was granted.