GUNTER, Texas — Texas utility regulators and the state's main grid operator have laid out a set of actions intended to shield households from the cost of rapid data center growth, the governor's office said this week.
Governor Greg Abbott released a response from the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to a directive he issued June 10. That directive asked the agencies to require data centers to pay for the electric infrastructure they need, to ensure new connections do not raise residential bills, and to develop additional protections for ratepayers.
"Residential ratepayers will not foot the bill for this industry's growth," Abbott said in the announcement. "These actions keep electric bills affordable and protect the water our communities need."
According to the state, the measures include requiring data centers to pay for transmission lines built to serve them and to contribute toward lowering residential bills, new rules meant to keep large facilities from diverting power from the grid, a screening process for grid interconnections, and a mandate that new data centers reduce their power use quickly when ERCOT directs. The agencies also recommended legislative changes for the upcoming session, including registration requirements and expanded grid-security authority.
