Texas General Land Office seeks new energy production; ERCOT to audit data centers' energy, water use

News ClipThe Texas Energy and Power Newsletter·TX·9/20/2026

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) will survey over 400 data centers to assess their water and energy usage, following an audit order from Governor Greg Abbott. This initiative targets both large and medium data centers drawing significant power from the Texas grid. Meanwhile, the Texas General Land Office is seeking new energy production methods on state lands.

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Gov: Texas General Land Office, Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, Governor Greg Abbott, ERCOT

The Texas General Land Office, led by Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, is initiating a request for information to explore new energy production methods on state lands. This includes geothermal, small modular reactors, and natural gas, with the aim of developing dependable power for Texas's economy and future industries.

In parallel, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is preparing to survey 461 data centers across the state. This comprehensive survey, ordered by Governor Greg Abbott, will gather data on the water and energy consumption of these facilities. The participants include 247 large data centers, each requesting at least 75 megawatts of power, and 214 medium data centers, requiring between 25 and 75 megawatts from the state grid.