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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIn ERCOT, a new electricity user with at least 75 megawatts (MW) of peak demand at one site cannot simply complete a utility service application and switch on. The interconnecting transmission or distribution provider, ERCOT, and sometimes other affected providers must establish that the requested load can operate reliably, identify any network upgrades or operating limits, and then complete a separate approval process before energization.
The practical sequence is: determine whether ERCOT’s Large Load Interconnection Process applies, submit detailed project and commissioning information through the interconnecting provider, complete reliability studies and ERCOT review, satisfy any Batch Zero or other current Planning Guide requirements, and obtain a distinct energization approval. A completed study is not permission to energize.
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What ERCOT considers a large load
ERCOT’s Questions and Answers About the Large Load Interconnection Process, revised December 15, 2025, defines a Large Load as one or more facilities at a single site with aggregate peak demand of at least 75 MW behind common points of interconnection or service delivery. The 75 MW figure is a threshold for the process, not a forecast of what the grid will ultimately approve.
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Section 9 of the ERCOT Planning Guide also covers certain major changes to existing facilities. The process applies to:
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- A new Large Load.
- A facility modification that increases aggregate peak demand by 75 MW or more.
- A modification to an existing Large Load that moves or adds its point of interconnection or service delivery point to a different electrical bus on a different circuit.
Peak demand is the relevant measure. A project’s average consumption, expected annual energy use, or nameplate equipment rating does not by itself determine whether the 75 MW threshold is met. The customer and its interconnecting provider must document the site configuration, common delivery points, maximum demand, operating schedule, and any staged construction.
Planning Guide and Protocol language governs if it conflicts with the FAQ. Because ERCOT updates forms and portal instructions, a developer should confirm the live Section 9 language before filing.
Who coordinates the connection
The customer and ILLE
The interconnecting load entity (ILLE) is the customer or project entity responsible for supplying accurate information and completing applicable forms, attestations, and other submissions. It must describe the intended load, technology, schedule, controls, and commissioning sequence well enough for the studies to model actual operation.
The transmission or distribution provider
The transmission service provider (TSP) coordinates the technical study work for a transmission-connected project and works with ERCOT and affected providers. A distribution-connected project may also involve a distribution service provider (DSP). The provider identifies the electrical point of interconnection, gathers base-case information, coordinates affected-system reviews, and transmits the study package for ERCOT review.
ERCOT
ERCOT participates in study scoping, reviews reports and comments, and makes reliability determinations under its governing rules. ERCOT is not merely checking whether the customer has requested or paid for service. Its review asks whether the system can withstand the proposed load under normal and contingency conditions and what facilities, operating limits, staged additions, or controls are needed.
Step 1: Define the project before asking for studies
Start with a technically specific project description. The information supplied at this stage becomes the assumptions used in reliability models, so a vague or optimistic description creates avoidable restudy risk later.
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- Site location and electrical point of interconnection or service delivery point.
- Requested peak MW, expected minimum load, power factor, and ramp characteristics.
- Load type, such as data-processing equipment, industrial production, pumping, or another large motor or electronic load.
- Phased construction and the date and size of each planned load block.
- Controls, protection systems, power-quality equipment, and any proposed curtailment capability.
- Whether generation, batteries, or other storage will be co-located.
- Construction and commissioning milestones, including the date at which equipment will first be energized.
The customer also supplies a current Load Commissioning Plan. This plan should match the equipment sequence and the load levels that will actually be placed in service, rather than a generic commercial schedule.
Step 2: Establish the study scope
The TSP or DSP and ERCOT determine the studies needed for the project. Scope is project-specific; not every facility receives an identical package.
Steady-state analysis
Steady-state studies examine voltage, thermal loading, power flows, and contingency performance under modeled operating conditions. They can reveal overloaded lines or transformers, unacceptable voltages, or a need to reinforce the transmission system before the requested load can be served.
Dynamic and transient-stability analysis
Dynamic and transient studies test how the system responds to disturbances such as faults, generator trips, or major line outages. Large power-electronic loads, rapidly changing demand, and weak-grid conditions can affect damping, voltage recovery, and post-contingency behavior.
Protection and short-circuit analysis
System-protection studies evaluate fault duty, breaker capability, relay coordination, and the impact of the new connection on protection settings. A connection can require protection changes even when normal power-flow results appear acceptable.
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ERCOT or the interconnecting provider may require other analyses, including subsynchronous-oscillation work. A co-located generator or storage resource can require an updated reactive study. The final scope identifies the applicable base cases, assumptions, scenarios, models, and deliverables.
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Step 3: Review findings and plan upgrades or operating limits
The completed studies do not produce a simple “approved” or “rejected” label. They identify the conditions under which the load can operate and the work needed to reach those conditions.
| Study finding | Possible project consequence |
|---|---|
| Local or regional thermal overload | Transmission or substation upgrades, a lower interim load, or staged additions. |
| Voltage or stability concern | Reactive support, control changes, operating limits, or additional stability work. |
| Protection or short-circuit issue | Relay, breaker, fault-duty, or protection-coordination modifications. |
| Constraint that cannot be removed by the requested date | A delayed energization date, reduced initial demand, or controllable/curtailable operation. |
ERCOT reviews the study reports and comments. If the project’s load type, schedule, point of interconnection, or control system changes materially after assumptions are established, ERCOT or the provider may require a full or partial restudy. Keeping the electrical design, operating plan, and commissioning schedule synchronized is therefore a core project-control task.
How Batch Zero changes the 2026 transition
Batch Zero is the transitional framework created through PGRR145. The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved PGRR145 on June 18, 2026; ERCOT’s record lists July 11, 2026 as the effective date for Batch Zero and related WLPUN provisions.
Under the framework, qualifying projects of at least 75 MW can be grouped for a system-wide study. ERCOT uses that process to evaluate the collection of requests, allocate available capability, and identify upgrades or constraints that affect multiple projects. ERCOT has also described pathways involving self-supply or onsite generation and arrangements in which a customer is willing to curtail in response to local constraints.
Batch Zero is not a blanket approval, a guaranteed energization date, or a promise that every submitted project will receive its requested capacity. Qualification, classification, verification, and the available capacity outcome remain project-specific.
What current applicants should check
ERCOT’s September 2026 Large Load Integration materials list verification requests for conditionally classified projects in the RIOO portal. Portal requests control when they differ from an older notice. The July 2026 notice described historical submission and classification milestones; those dates have passed and should not be treated as deadlines for a new application.
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- Read the live ERCOT Planning Guide Section 9 and current portal instructions.
- Ask the TSP or DSP which Batch Zero or ordinary Large Load path applies to the site.
- Confirm the project’s classification, required verification material, and any self-supply or curtailment commitment.
- Use the current RIOO forms and deadlines rather than relying on a saved copy of a prior notice.
Standalone load versus co-located generation or storage
A load paired with generation or a battery does not automatically leave the Large Load process. The load follows the Large Load requirements, while the generator or storage resource follows its own interconnection or modification process.
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| Configuration | Additional treatment | Key planning question |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone grid-supplied load | Large Load studies and normal transmission or distribution planning. | Can the network deliver the requested peak and schedule? |
| New load with new generator or storage | Large Load process plus the resource’s generator-interconnection or modification process; project-dependent reactive and stability studies may be needed. | How do the load and resource interact electrically under all modeled conditions? |
| Load involving an existing standalone resource registered as of September 1, 2025 | ERCOT’s FAQ says a Net Metering Review is also invoked, including ERCOT review and Public Utility Commission approval. | Does the proposed netting arrangement satisfy current statutes, registration status, and forms? |
The exact obligations depend on resource status, ownership and registration, electrical configuration, and current rules. A developer should not assume that onsite generation makes the grid study unnecessary.
Why study completion is not energization approval
Energization is a separate operational gate. ERCOT’s integration materials describe a distinct energization request for a new standalone Large Load and require approval before the load is energized.
Requirements described for that gate include:
- Executed interconnection and other applicable agreements.
- Notice to proceed with construction and the required financial security or payments for network facilities.
- A current Load Commissioning Plan that reflects the actual startup sequence.
- Inclusion of the facility and its expected behavior in the Network Operations Model.
- Accurate, functioning telemetry and communications.
- Applicable ride-through, stability, protection, and other technical checks.
A project can therefore have favorable study results and still be unable to energize because agreements are incomplete, security has not been posted, telemetry is inaccurate, the commissioning plan is outdated, or an operating-model and ride-through requirement remains open.
How to prepare a connection package
- Measure the site correctly. Establish aggregate peak demand behind common delivery points and document each phase.
- Choose and confirm the electrical point. Identify the bus, circuit, voltage level, and whether a proposed modification changes the point of interconnection.
- Build a realistic load model. Provide ramp rates, power factor, controls, protection data, and behavior during faults and voltage events.
- Submit the commissioning schedule. List equipment energization, testing, staged load blocks, and the intended date for each increase.
- Declare co-located resources. Include generators, batteries, inverters, and control schemes from the beginning.
- Keep assumptions under change control. Route design or schedule changes through the TSP or DSP before construction decisions make a restudy unavoidable.
- Track two gates separately. Maintain one checklist for study and facility requirements and another for ERCOT energization approval.
Common causes of delay
Changing the load after modeling
Changing from one load type to another, increasing the ramp rate, adding large motors, or altering controls can invalidate study assumptions. The remedy is early disclosure and a written determination from the provider about whether a partial or full restudy is required.
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Moving the interconnection point
Moving or adding service to a different bus on a different circuit can bring an existing facility into the Section 9 process. It can also change affected-system constraints and protection requirements.
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Assuming an upgrade schedule is the customer’s schedule
The requested energization date depends on network-facility design, permitting, construction, security, and testing. Do not promise a universal end-to-end timeline: ERCOT’s published materials provide process milestones and individual deadlines, not one standard duration for every project.
Arriving at energization with an incomplete operational package
Telemetry, Network Operations Model data, ride-through evidence, agreements, and the commissioning plan must be ready when the energization request is reviewed. Treating these as late administrative items can delay an otherwise technically viable connection.
What the scale of demand means for planning
In its June 18, 2026 announcement, ERCOT said it was tracking more than 438,000 MW of large-load requests, with nearly 89% associated with data centers. Those figures describe requests being tracked, not approved connections or installed and operating capacity. They explain why ERCOT is using a structured, system-wide transition process rather than treating every request as an isolated service upgrade.
ERCOT said the Batch Zero framework followed more than 200 hours of live discussion, workshops averaging about 500 participants, approximately 200 survey responses, and more than 290 written comments. The process is intended to make decisions more transparent while protecting reliability as demand grows.
A practical decision framework for developers
| Project choice | Potential benefit | Trade-off to document |
|---|---|---|
| Request firm grid-supplied consumption | Simple operating concept once network capability and upgrades are in place. | May require larger upgrades or a later energization date. |
| Stage load additions | Allows early operation at a lower level while later facilities are completed. | Requires enforceable commissioning limits and operating discipline. |
| Add self-supply or storage | Can change modeled net demand and provide an alternative Batch Zero pathway. | Introduces a separate resource process, controls, studies, and performance obligations. |
| Accept controllable or curtailable operation | May help manage local constraints and support a qualifying pathway. | Reduces certainty of uninterrupted consumption and requires reliable controls and procedures. |
ERCOT and the interconnecting provider determine whether a particular option is acceptable. The table describes planning trade-offs, not a guarantee that any route will be approved.
The essential takeaway
For a large new electricity user, an ERCOT connection is a reliability-planning process followed by an operational approval, not a routine utility hookup. At 75 MW or more at one site, the customer must work through its TSP or DSP, provide a detailed and stable project model, complete the required steady-state, stability, protection, and project-specific studies, address identified upgrades or operating limits, and then satisfy a separate energization checklist. Batch Zero changes how qualifying projects are grouped and verified during the 2026 transition, but it does not eliminate project-specific review or guarantee capacity and timing.
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