Step 1: Write down the load before you look at land
A site only makes sense against a requirement. Before you open a map, write down four things:
- Megawatts. Peak demand at full build, and the first phase if you plan to ramp.
- Target energization year. When you need power switched on.
- Region. Any limits on where in Texas you can be.
- Acreage. Land for buildings, substations, setbacks and any on-site generation.
These four numbers decide which sites are even worth a look. They are also what Voltane asks for at the start of a Find me a site request.
Step 2: Know which grid you are on
Most of Texas is served by ERCOT. Parts of the Panhandle, East Texas and the El Paso area are served by utilities in other grids. Rules, timelines and markets differ between them, so the same tract can mean a different process depending on which side of a line it sits.
Check the grid and the serving utility early. See Texas has more than one grid and the glossary entry on ERCOT.
Step 3: Screen for power access
Public data can narrow the search, even though it cannot give a final answer. Useful signals include:
- Distance to transmission lines, and their voltage class.
- Distance to substations. A substation nearby is a place to ask, not available capacity.
- Activity in the interconnection queue nearby. A crowded area means competition. It does not measure room on the grid.
- Planned transmission projects, as dated facts.
- Mapped gas pipelines, if you are thinking about on-site generation.
None of these says how many megawatts a site can get. Voltane's own capacity signal is a proxy built from distance to transmission and queue competition. It is never available MW.
Step 4: Screen the land
Then test the land itself:
- Parcel size and the largest flat, buildable block.
- FEMA flood zones. Where no digital flood map exists, the answer is unknown, not zero.
- Mapped wetlands and protected land.
- Access, neighbors and local rules, which need local checks.
Water supply and fiber routes also matter for a data center. Voltane's engine does not cover them today, so treat them as separate checks.
Step 5: Understand the Texas large-load rule
Texas SB 6 changed what a large load must do before its request is studied. Under the rule the Public Utility Commission of Texas adopted in 2026, a new or expanded interconnection of 75 MW or more at a single site must show site control, pay a study fee and post security before the study starts. A signed option on the land counts as site control.
That means land and power now move together. Use the SB 6 calculator to size the cash a request ties up, and read the glossary entry on Texas SB 6. Then check the current rule text with the PUCT.
Step 6: Turn a shortlist into real answers
A screen gives you a shortlist. The real answers come next:
- Talk to the utility that serves the site about a large-load request.
- Confirm ownership and title through the official county record.
- Walk the land and order the field studies you need.
- Follow the utility and ERCOT study process to an interconnection agreement.
If you would rather hand over steps 2 to 4, Voltane runs them for you and returns a priced shortlist with the evidence behind each site. The result is a screening, not a site suitability determination.
Questions people ask
What matters most when choosing a data center site in Texas?
Power. How much a site can get and how soon usually decides the outcome before land, fiber or incentives do.
Can a map tell me how much power a site can get?
No. Public data shows distance to lines and substations and how busy the queue is. How much load a site can take is answered by the utility and ERCOT through a request and studies.
Does Voltane find the site for me?
Yes, in Texas. You send MW, target energization year, region and acreage. Voltane screens with its internal engine and returns a priced shortlist with a report on each site.
Sources
Related
- Find me a site
- Analyze my site (by request)
- Texas data center site selection
- Texas county siting data
- SB 6 calculator
- Glossary: large load interconnection
- Where Texas can still connect
More guides
- The ERCOT large load interconnection process, explained
- What makes land "powered land"?
- Data center site selection checklist: power, land, water, fiber, risk
- How to price a powered land site
- Time to power: what drives it in ERCOT
- Gas-to-power and behind-the-meter generation for data centers: siting basics
- Solar and storage site selection in Texas: a first-pass screen
Need a site, or have one?
Tell us what you need and Voltane finds, reports on and prices candidate sites in ERCOT. Or bring a site you already have for a path-to-power report (by request for now).