Texas Election Raises the Stakes for AI Data Center Permits
Thursday, November 5, 2026 · 6 min
Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa is expected to continue the data center grid-connection moratorium, extending uncertainty for the nation’s largest buildout market. Election results in Georgia and Michigan also signal tougher scrutiny of utility spending and who pays for grid expansion.
Listen
Show notes
Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa is expected to continue the data center grid-connection moratorium, extending uncertainty for the nation’s largest buildout market. Election results in Georgia and Michigan also signal tougher scrutiny of utility spending and who pays for grid expansion.
In this episode
- Get Off of My Cloud – Texas Moratorium on Data Center Grid Connections Disrupts U.S. Project Pipeline | RBN Energy — RBN Energy
“The unprecedented surge in state legislation and regulation to stall or ban future development included Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s moratorium on new data center grid connections, which his successor, Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, is expected to continue.”
- Elon Musk's AI Company Installs Converted Jet Engines To Help Power Its Memphis Data Center — AOL
“The New York Times reported Tuesday that eight converted jet-engine units are installed at xAI's Mississippi site, citing permits and satellite imagery. The state air permit places the units, which burn natural gas, at the company's Southaven power plant, and the NAACP and two…”
- Amid a blue wave, voters rebuke monopoly utilities — Latitude Media
“After years of rate hikes in Georgia and Michigan, midterm voters on Tuesday delivered a rebuke of investor-owned utilities by supporting regulators and ballot initiatives demanding more scrutiny of the industry. For the first time in two decades, Georgia’s five-member Public…”