Texas Governor-Elect Pledges Data Center Moratorium as State Freezes New Projects
Texas is weighing a statewide data center moratorium after governor-elect Gina Hinojosa campaigned on halting new facilities until lawmakers adopt community protections. Gov. Greg Abbott has already frozen or slowed data center grid connections and environmental permits while ERCOT audits hundreds of large-load projects.
Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has pledged to seek an immediate statewide moratorium on new Texas data centers until lawmakers give local communities more control over development and address electricity costs and subsidies. She is scheduled to take office Jan. 19, while the Legislature convenes earlier that month.
Outgoing Gov. Greg Abbott has already directed the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT to review data center interconnection requests and ordered the state environmental regulator to pause certain related permits. ERCOT’s preliminary review covers 245 large-load projects requesting about 166 gigawatts of capacity. A 2025 law also requires large new electricity customers to pay for grid studies and interconnection costs and accept curtailment equipment, increasing uncertainty and potential delays for developers.