Spare capacity
Where new power could share an existing connection
Every power plant has a grid connection sized for its maximum output, but many rarely run flat out. A battery, solar farm or new load could share that idle room instead of waiting years in the queue for a connection of its own. This page shows how often each Texas plant's connection sits unused.
At a glance
Across 24 of 24 plants with hourly output.
What this means
How much of the connection sat unused in at least 80% of the year's hours. A battery can use this room and wait out the other hours.
Limits: Past output doesn't guarantee future room. Any shared project must throttle when the plant runs, and the owner must agree to share.
Unit: megawatts (MW) · Sep 1, 2025 – Aug 31, 2026
The steadier room a round-the-clock load would need.
What this means
The steadier figure: room that was free almost all the time. A load that runs around the clock, such as a data center, would screen on this.
Limits: The remaining 5% of hours still need a plan, such as curtailment or on-site storage.
Unit: megawatts (MW) · Sep 1, 2025 – Aug 31, 2026
24 plants in ERCOT.
What this means
The most power an existing plant may send onto the grid. A new battery, solar farm or load that shares the connection must stay within it.
Limits: Nameplate capacity stands in for the interconnection limit, which utilities and ERCOT don't publish per plant. The real limit can be lower.
Unit: megawatts (MW)
Fit a battery, a steady load, or solar plus storage.
What this means
Plants with enough free connection for at least one use: a battery, a steady load, or solar plus storage.
Limits: A screen, not a feasibility study. Land, permits, owner consent and grid rules decide whether a project can actually be built.
Unit: plants
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| # | Plant | Connection | Free 80% | Land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steam (coal/gas) | 700 MW | 525 MW | Some |
| 2 | Gas peaker | 450 MW | 450 MW | Ample |
| 3 | Gas peaker | 410 MW | 410 MW | Some |
| 4 | Gas peaker | 320 MW | 320 MW | Some |
| 5 | Gas combined cycle | 1,150 MW | 284 MW | Ample |
| 6 | Gas peaker | 240 MW | 240 MW | Ample |
| 7 | Gas peaker | 210 MW | 210 MW | Tight |
| 8 | Gas combined cycle | 800 MW | 196 MW | Some |
| 9 | Steam (coal/gas) | 1,250 MW | 184 MW | Ample |
| 10 | Gas peaker | 180 MW | 180 MW | Some |
| 11 | Solar | 300 MW | 155 MW mostly night | Some |
| 12 | Gas peaker | 150 MW | 150 MW | Tight |
| 13 | Gas combined cycle | 620 MW | 148 MW | Ample |
| 14 | Wind | 280 MW | 137 MW | Unavailable: No parcel data for this plant |
| 15 | Steam (coal/gas) | 900 MW | 132 MW | Ample |
| 16 | Gas combined cycle | 540 MW | 132 MW | Some |
| 17 | Solar | 250 MW | 125 MW mostly night | Some |
| 18 | Wind | 210 MW | 107 MW | Unavailable: No parcel data for this plant |
| 19 | Gas peaker | 95 MW | 95 MW | Tight |
| 20 | Solar | 180 MW | 90 MW mostly night | Some |
| 21 | Wind | 160 MW | 75 MW | Unavailable: No parcel data for this plant |
| 22 | Solar | 120 MW | 57 MW mostly night | Ample |
| 23 | Wind | 120 MW | 51 MW | Tight |
| 24 | Solar | 75 MW | 37 MW mostly night | Some |
Before anyone builds
ERCOT is outside FERC's surplus interconnection rule. FERC's surplus interconnection service (Order 845) applies to FERC-jurisdictional grid operators. Most of ERCOT is not one, so adding a battery or solar at an existing Texas plant goes through ERCOT's own interconnection process, and pairing a large load with existing generation needs PUCT and ERCOT review under Texas SB 6 (2025). Verify the current rules for each deal.
A plant's owner must agree to share its connection, and total output must stay within the connection limit. These figures find candidates; they don't show that a project is feasible.