Developers participating in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Batch Zero process are facing growing uncertainty following the program’s suspension, as they await guidance from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) on the refundability of interconnection deposits. The outcome could affect not only data center developments but also a broader range of large-load projects requiring more than 75 MW of power.
Bracewell’s Bryan Clark told New Project Media that developers are concerned the Batch Zero pause could overlap with the PUCT’s forthcoming decision on deposit refundability, potentially forcing them to keep funds at risk in a process whose future remains unclear.
“You’re asking these developers to say, ‘We don’t know what Batch Zero is going to look like, but if you want to stay in this, we’re going to have to put part of our deposit at risk for a yet unknown process,’” Clark said.
“This does not just affect data centers,” Bracewell’s Jared Berg told New Project Media. “It affects all large loads. If you want to build a gas processing plant in the state of Texas or build an LNG facility and you need more than 75 MWs of power for that facility, you are stuck in the same quagmire as all the data centers.”
