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Data centers and local rules: moratoria, large-load tariffs, and what they mean for a generation project

49 sourced entries · Checked October 17, 2026

Data centers are the fastest-growing source of new electricity demand in every market this site covers, and the local reaction to them, from county moratoria to new utility tariffs, lands on the same ground a generation project needs. This page keeps three things separate that coverage mixes up: local actions on data centers, local actions on solar, wind and storage, and the state rules and large-load tariffs behind both. Every entry links to the document it came from.

States: Texas · Illinois · Arizona · Indiana

Why it matters for a project. A data-center moratorium does not stop a solar or storage project, and a solar moratorium does not stop a data center; they are separate ordinances, often from the same county in the same year. A developer siting generation near a planned campus needs both lists, plus the large-load tariff that decides who pays for the wires. Load forecasts, the Texas SB 6 rules and the published deals are on the data-center load briefing.

Texas

State rules Data-center moratoria Solar, wind and storage moratoria Load growth · Texas projects and rules

State rules and incentives

Large-load rules In effect
Senate Bill 6 (2025) directs the Public Utility Commission to adopt large-load interconnection standards for ERCOT, including a 75-megawatt demand threshold, a study fee, proof of site control, and disclosure duties. The enrolled bill took effect on passage (the Governor signed it June 20, 2025; see the data-center load briefing for the rules the PUCT has since proposed). (Texas Senate Research Center, enrolled bill analysis of S.B. 6, Aug 5, 2025)
Large-load rules In effect
The PUCT's Large Load Forecasting Rule, 16 TAC 25.370 (Project 58480), was adopted and effective March 1, 2026, according to ERCOT's April 2026 update to the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce. (ERCOT, Large Load Update to the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce (April 2026), Apr 1, 2026)
Large-load rules Adopted Sep. 18, 2026
The PUCT published the draft Large Load Interconnection Standards, 16 TAC 25.194 (Project 58481), for comment on March 12, 2026 (per the ERCOT update) and adopted the final rule on September 18, 2026: a flat $100,000 study fee, $50,000 per MW of financial security, and a 24-month grace period on the energization schedule; the draft's non-refundable $50,000/MW fee was dropped (White & Case client alert, Sep. 2026). (ERCOT, Large Load Update to the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce (April 2026), Sep 18, 2026; White & Case client alert, Sep. 2026)
Large-load rules In progress
ERCOT is moving large-load interconnection to a clustered batch study process; a stakeholder process for the transition was under way as of April 2026. (ERCOT, Large Load Update to the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce (April 2026), Apr 1, 2026)
Tax incentives In force
Texas' data-center sales-tax exemption remains in force. The Texas Tribune reported in April 2026 that the state will lose about $3.2 billion in sales-tax revenue over the next two years, that 121 data centers currently receive the break, and that lawmakers are considering limiting or repealing it ahead of the 2027 session. (The Texas Tribune, Apr 8, 2026)

Local actions on data centers

Hill County Commissioners Court Rescinded June 4, 2026
Approved, 3–2, a one-year pause on new large battery storage, power generation and data-center projects in unincorporated Hill County. Rescinded unanimously at a June 4, 2026 special meeting after a federal suit by the developer; the rescission is the second source. (KWTX, May 12, 2026; KWTX)
Chandler (city, Henderson County) City Council Passed; effective date not stated
Unanimously passed a proposed ordinance that prohibits data centers as any permitted, special, conditional, accessory or temporary use within city limits and bars expansion of existing ones. (KETK, Aug 12, 2026)
San Marcos City Council Adopted on second reading
Voted 4–3 on the second reading of Ordinance 2026-08 to amend the Land Use Matrix and prohibit data centers in every zoning district; a near-identical proposal had failed 3–4 in March 2026. (Fox San Antonio, Jun 18, 2026)
Fort Worth City Council Pending
Aug. 11, 2026: council initiated the state-law process for a 90-day moratorium on new data-center development applications and created a Data Center & Infrastructure Commission. First public hearing Nov. 10, 2026; adoption tentatively Feb. 16, 2027 and needs a council supermajority; not yet adopted. (City of Fort Worth, Sep 29, 2026)

Local actions on solar, wind and battery storage

Katy (city) City Council Denied; PUCT filing pending as of November 2025
Battery storage, not solar: the council unanimously denied a special use permit for Ochoa Energy Storage's proposed 500 MW battery facility after an October 24, 2024 meeting; the developer later asked the PUCT for a declaratory order. (Covering Katy, Nov 6, 2025)
League City City Council Pause as of April 2024; current status not verified
Battery storage, not solar: the council voted 7–1 on April 23, 2024 to postpone all battery energy storage requests until a workshop and a new safety ordinance; a 10 MW and a 200 MW project were put on hold. (The Galveston County Daily News, Apr 29, 2024)
Hill County Commissioners Court Rescinded June 4, 2026
The same May 12, 2026 pause covered new large battery storage and power generation projects, not only data centers; rescinded June 4, 2026. (KWTX, May 12, 2026; KWTX)

What the grid operator or utilities report

ERCOT told the Texas Senate on July 29, 2026 that it is tracking approximately 474 GW of large loads seeking interconnection, and that about 205 GW is eligible for its first batch study based on existing studies. (ERCOT testimony, Senate Committee on Business & Commerce (July 29, 2026), Jul 29, 2026)
As of March 26, 2026 ERCOT was tracking approximately 410 GW of large loads seeking interconnection, of which about 87% were data centers. (ERCOT, Large Load Update to the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce (April 2026), Apr 1, 2026)

Illinois

State rules Data-center moratoria Solar, wind and storage moratoria Load growth · Illinois projects and rules

State rules and incentives

Large-load rules Approved
The Illinois Commerce Commission approved ComEd's revised large-load tariff in March 2026, allowing the utility to require security deposits scaled to project size, starting at $1 million for 50–200 MW and rising $500,000 per additional 100 MW, and opened a further ratepayer-protection proceeding. (NPR Illinois / Capitol News Illinois, Mar 20, 2026)
Tax incentives Executive action
Gov. Pritzker announced in June 2026 that the state commerce agency would pause processing of data-center tax-incentive applications effective July 1, 2026, after lawmakers did not act on his request for a two-year suspension. (NBC Chicago, Jun 5, 2026)
Statewide moratorium? Did not advance
The POWER Act, a data-center water and energy regulation bill introduced in February 2026 by Rep. Robyn Gabel, did not advance in the spring 2026 session; the sponsor expects to return to it in the fall veto session. (Route Fifty, Jun 10, 2026)
Statewide moratorium? In committee
SB 3761 (Sen. Mike Simmons) would create a data-center self-direct program and disclosure duties for the ICC and IDNR; the General Assembly's bill status shows it referred to committee with a Rule 2-10 deadline of April 24, 2026 and no later action. (Illinois General Assembly, bill status for SB 3761, Mar 27, 2026)

Local actions on data centers

Lake County County Board In force through May 2027
Approved an eight-month moratorium on data centers in unincorporated Lake County, in effect through May 2027, after the Zoning Board of Appeals (August 18) and the Planning, Building, Zoning and Environment Committee (September 2) both acted unanimously. (Lake County, Illinois (official bulletin), Sep 8, 2026)
Plainfield (village) Village Board In force, 180 days from April 2026
Unanimously adopted a 180-day moratorium on applications for data centers and warehouses primarily used to store computing infrastructure, extendable by formal board action. (Shaw Local / The Herald-News, Apr 21, 2026)
Normal (town) Town Council In force through November 30, 2026
Unanimously approved a data-center moratorium lasting until November 30 while leaders develop regulations. (25 News Now (WEEK), May 19, 2026)

Local actions on solar, wind and battery storage

Utica (village) Village Board In force; end date not stated
Voted 5–0 on April 9, 2026 to extend its moratorium on permits for solar energy and wind farm systems inside village limits (residential rooftop excluded); the village attorney's position is that Public Act 104-0458 does not bind home-rule Utica. (Shaw Local / NewsTribune, Apr 16, 2026)
Quincy (city) City Council Denied
Denied, 8–4, a special permit for a Summit Ridge Energy solar farm at 3622 Ellington Road after a unanimous Plan Commission recommendation to deny. (Muddy River News, Jun 3, 2025)

What the grid operator or utilities report

The ICC's March 2026 order described ComEd's pending large-load pipeline as more than 75 projects requesting about 28,000 MW, nearly 1.2 times the highest demand ComEd has ever served. (NPR Illinois / Capitol News Illinois, Mar 20, 2026)
A ComEd director told an Illinois House committee in April 2026 that, if every project in the requested pipeline were built, demand would more than double the system peak by about 2040. (NPR Illinois / Capitol News Illinois, Apr 17, 2026)
PJM's 2026 Long-Term Load Forecast puts the RTO's 20-year annualized summer-peak growth rate at 2.4%. (PJM Interconnection, 2026 Long-Term Load Forecast (Load Analysis Subcommittee, January 23, 2026), Jan 23, 2026)

Arizona

State rules Data-center moratoria Solar, wind and storage moratoria Load growth · Arizona projects and rules

State rules and incentives

Large-load rules Approved
The Arizona Corporation Commission voted unanimously at its August 12, 2026 open meeting to approve a streamlined large-load electric service agreement process for six electric cooperatives, so that existing ratepayers do not pay for the new transmission and infrastructure that large-load customers such as data centers require. (Arizona Corporation Commission news release, Aug 13, 2026)
Large-load rules Workshop; no rule adopted in the release
The Commission's April 16, 2026 large-load and data-center workshop discussed a universal large-load tariff and energy supply agreements; APS and SRP proposed an extra-high-load-factor rate and a bring-your-own-power approach. (Arizona Corporation Commission news release, Apr 20, 2026)
Tax incentives In force
Gov. Hobbs approved a three-year pause on Arizona's data-center tax breaks, effective July 1, amid concerns about water and energy supplies; the Arizona Commerce Authority received a flood of applications ahead of the cutoff. (KJZZ, Jul 14, 2026)
Statewide moratorium? No statewide pause
Attorney General Kris Mayes called for a pause on data-center development; on September 3, 2026 Gov. Hobbs said a statewide moratorium is not the answer. (KJZZ, Sep 3, 2026)

Local actions on data centers

Tucson City Council Work stopped
Voted unanimously on August 6, 2025 to direct city staff to stop all work on Project Blue, a proposed data center. (KOLD, Aug 6, 2025)
Tucson City Council Adopted
Adopted, 6–1, the city's first data-center ordinance: large-scale data centers must be more than half a mile from residential areas and need mayor-and-council approval; the ordinance may be revisited after at least one year. (KOLD, Aug 5, 2026)
Chandler (Arizona) City Council Denied
Unanimously rejected a proposed AI data-center development in the Price Road industrial corridor at its December 11, 2025 meeting. (KJZZ, Dec 11, 2025)

Local actions on solar, wind and battery storage

Chino Valley (town) Town Council In force; investigation requested
Ordinance No. 2025-956 (passed September 23, 2025) bars additional utility-scale solar and wind facilities in Chino Valley; State Sen. Lauren Kuby asked the Attorney General on January 23, 2026 to investigate it under A.R.S. 9-463.06. (Arizona Attorney General's Office, legislator request for investigation, Jan 23, 2026)
Yavapai, Mohave and Navajo counties; Chino Valley, Coolidge and Eloy County boards and town councils (not detailed in the report) As reported
An Arizona's Family investigation published October 2, 2026 found that three rural counties and three towns had restricted or banned large solar and wind projects; the report gives no dates, bodies or votes. (Arizona's Family (KTVK/KPHO), Oct 2, 2026)

What the grid operator or utilities report

At the Commission's April 16, 2026 workshop, SRP reported serving 59 large-load customers with a combined load of nearly 7,000 MW, and APS estimated its large-customer peak demand would reach about 13.1 GW this year. (Arizona Corporation Commission news release, Apr 20, 2026)

Indiana

State rules Data-center moratoria Solar, wind and storage moratoria Load growth

State rules and incentives

Large-load rules Approved
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved Indiana Michigan Power's large-load settlement with Amazon Data Services, Google, Microsoft, the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor and Citizens Action Coalition in February 2025, applying to facilities with contract capacity of at least 70 MW (150 MW aggregated), with one modification requiring Commission review of any reduction of more than 20% in contracted peak capacity. (Utility Dive, Feb 20, 2025)
Large-load rules Approved
The IURC approved NIPSCO's GenCo framework, under which a NIPSCO affiliate would own and operate power plants for large-load customers so that existing customers do not pay for them, and reaffirmed it on November 19. (Utility Dive, Nov 25, 2025)
Large-load rules Order issued
In IURC Cause No. 46322, NIPSCO and NIPSCO GenCo sought approval of a September 18, 2025 contract and power purchase agreement to serve Amazon Data Services; the Commission's order document is captioned as approved. (Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, order in Cause No. 46322, Jun 17, 2026)
Tax incentives Enacted
HB 1210, signed by Gov. Braun on March 12, 2026, adds a local payment of up to one cent per dollar of a data center's sales-tax exemption for data centers locally approved after June 30, with existing certificate holders excluded. (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Mar 26, 2026)
Statewide moratorium? Did not advance
In the 2026 session, HB 1245, which would have directed the IURC to study the impact of data-center electricity demand, never advanced beyond its first reading, and HB 1333 (a zoning bypass for large developments) died in committee. (Indiana Public Radio / IPB News, Mar 2, 2026)

Local actions on data centers

Fulton County County Commissioners In force
Voted 2–1 to approve a one-year moratorium on data-center construction, effective immediately, with a study committee to be appointed by the Area Plan Commission. (WNDU, Mar 2, 2026)
Boone County County Commissioners In force
Unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on data centers in unincorporated Boone County on June 15 while zoning rules are reviewed. (Current Publishing, Jun 15, 2026)
Indianapolis / Marion County Metropolitan Development Commission In force through December 31, 2027
Voted 6–0 on August 19, 2026 to adopt a moratorium on new data centers until at least December 31, 2027, effective immediately, after the City-County Council advanced it 23–1; three previously approved projects are treated as exempt. (Indiana Public Radio / IPB News, Aug 20, 2026)
Dearborn County County Commissioners In force
Approved a moratorium of up to one year on processing rezoning applications for commercial solar, battery storage facilities and data centers. (WVXU (Cincinnati Public Radio), Feb 25, 2026)

Local actions on solar, wind and battery storage

Starke County Board of Commissioners Ran through July 25, 2026; any further extension not verified
Ordinance No. 02 of 2026 (adopted February 17, 2026) extended the Ordinance 07-2025 moratorium on improvement location permits for commercial solar energy systems through July 25, 2026. (Starke County, Indiana, notice of adoption, Feb 17, 2026)
Posey County County Commissioners In force through December 2026
Extended the county's March 2024 moratorium on wind and solar projects for another year while new ordinances are written; the pause is expected to last until December 2026. (WEHT/WTVW Eyewitness News, Dec 17, 2025)
Dearborn County County Commissioners In force
The same moratorium listed under data centers pauses rezoning applications for commercial solar and battery storage for up to a year from February 25, 2026. (WVXU (Cincinnati Public Radio), Feb 25, 2026)

What the grid operator or utilities report

MISO's 2026 Long-Term Load Forecast, as reported by Utility Dive, expects peak load to grow to about 163 GW by 2035, driven largely by data centers. (Utility Dive, reporting MISO's 2026 Long-Term Load Forecast, Apr 20, 2026)

How to use this

Siting near a campus, or selling to one: check the county's own actions above, then the county page on this site for the projects already in the interconnection queue, then the state's large-load rules for who pays for upgrades and who can be curtailed. Indiana is included here for its data-center rules even though the site does not yet have Indiana county pages.