New Rules for Data Centers | Reading and Podcast Picks - June 14, 2026
The Texas Tribune maps data center buildout; Google's bet on the grid; Details on the Governor's letter to PUC and ERCOT; Record demand predictions; and why this oil shock is different from the rest.
Reading and Podcast Picks is a collection of what we’ve been reading and listening to over the last week or so about energy topics.
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Special Event: You are invited to Powerhouse Texas’ 2026 Power Player Awards ceremony
Join policymakers, lawmakers, innovative leaders and some of your favorite Texas Energy & Power writers at Powerhouse Texas’ 2026 Power Player Awards. The event will be Wednesday, June 17 at the Pershing in Austin.
The awards recognize individuals and organizations helping shape Texas’s energy future. The evening will include spotlights on outstanding energy and environmental leaders, presentations of energy policy solutions developed by legislative staff, delicious food and drink, and opportunities to network with experts in our community.
The Texas Tribune does a deep dive into how the data center conversation is developing across the state. This is not just a grid story, but a water story, a local governance story and increasingly a community resistance story. Find the data centers planned and operating using their map.
ERCOT in the last two years received 519 requests to connect large electricity users, compared to 24 such requests the year before that, according to its records as of May. The estimated electricity that large projects could need added up to a gobsmacking 438,595 megawatts — which would equal roughly a third of all the power generation in America. Ninety percent of that was for data centers, most of which aimed to start operating by 2030.
“Our competitive advantage as a state is also the source of our biggest planning challenge,” said Matt Boms, executive director for the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, which advocates for clean energy policies and represents some technology companies. “So there’s a bit of a paradox there. But it’s a good problem to have. I think a lot of other states would kill to have that kind of problem.”
How Google is Taking Energy Efficiency from Server Rooms to Living Rooms | With Great Power Podcast
Google is betting that massive data center growth can be a forcing function for broader grid investment. On this episode of With Great Power, head of energy market development Ellen Zuckerman discusses programs making that possible like the new Clean Transition Tariff in Nevada and their community home battery pilot. Both show ways the tech giant is aiming to use load growth in a way that leaves the grid better than they found it.
