Brooks County, Texas: solar, wind, and storage projects and permits
Queue data as of ERCOT's September 2026 GIS report · Contacts checked 2026-09-26 · Next update early next month
4 proposed energy projects from ERCOT's September 2026 report, plus who to call in Brooks County and in TCEQ Region 15 before signing a solar, wind, or battery storage lease.
Check land in Brooks CountyOpens the land report with the map on the county; click a spot for its flood, wetland, habitat, line-distance and parcel check.
Power reliability here: minutes without power per year, outages per year, and outage length for Brooks County, 2013–2024, from the serving utilities' EIA filings.
What energy projects are proposed in Brooks County?
ERCOT's September 2026 interconnection report lists 4 proposed energy projects in Brooks County (2 solar and 2 battery storage), about 879 MW in all. None has a signed interconnection agreement yet.
What stands out in Brooks County
By capacity, solar leads in Brooks County with 464 MW across 2 projects, followed by battery storage (2 projects, 415 MW). The largest single project is Verily Solar (FKA Cuello De Cuero Solar), a 261 MW solar project listed under Verily Solar, LLC, still in study, and its target online date is Jul 2029. Of the 4, 4 are still in ERCOT's study process. Every listed connection point is on the 345 kV system (why the voltage matters). Tempus Power management LLC is listed on the most projects here (2 of 4); 3 different companies appear in all. Target online dates for the projects not yet running span Apr 2028 to Dec 2029. All of them fall in ERCOT's South load zone.
A listing is a request to study a grid connection, not a built project; the stage column says how far each one has gone.
Stage, most advanced first: Approved for synchronization (first power) · Approved for energization (backfeed) · Under construction · Signed; security posted (interconnection agreement signed and financial security posted) · Signed (agreement signed, security not yet posted) · In study (screening or full interconnection study, no agreement). A target date that has already passed is marked; ERCOT keeps the developer's last reported date until the developer changes it.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Project and connection point | Developer as listed by ERCOT | Type | MW | Target online date iThe commercial operation date the developer reported to ERCOT (ERCOT calls it the projected COD). Developers set and change it, many projects slip, and some are never built. It is not a promise or a construction date. | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reforzar BESS 1345 kV 80078 Reforzar · shared with 1 other request | Tempus Power management LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 207.6 | Apr 2028 | In study |
| Reforzar Bess 2345 kV 80078 Reforzar · shared with 1 other request | Tempus Power management LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 207.6 | Apr 2028 | In study |
| Verily Solar (FKA Cuello De Cuero Solar)80078 Reforzar Switch Station 345kV | Verily Solar, LLC | Solar | 261.0 | Jul 2029 | In study |
| Kinenos Solartap 345kV 8905 North Edinburg - 8455 Lon Hill | Encino del Sol Energy, LLC | Solar | 203.2 | Dec 2029 | In study |
Crowded connection points in Brooks County
Substations and switching stations named by two or more of the county's requests, matched on ERCOT's PSS/E bus number rather than the exact wording, so "60404 SOLSTICE", "AEP Solstice Substation #60404" and a tap off the Solstice line count together. Every request statewide that names the bus is listed; a request on a tap line counts toward both ends. Sharing a bus is not the same as sharing a study group, and ERCOT decides the latter.
Reforzar (80078) 345 kV 5 requests · 1,199 MW · 3 in Brooks County, 2 in Nueces3 in study, 2 signed; security posted
- Sunscape Renewable Energy Solar SLF 27INR0047 · Solar · 523 MW · Signed; security posted · Nueces
- Sunscape Renewable Energy Storage SLF 27INR0048 · Battery storage · 0 MW · Signed; security posted · Nueces
- Verily Solar (FKA Cuello De Cuero Solar) 28INR0059 · Solar · 261 MW · In study
- Reforzar BESS 1 27INR0400 · Battery storage · 208 MW · In study
- Reforzar Bess 2 27INR0401 · Battery storage · 208 MW · In study
What the stages and dates mean: how to read ERCOT's report. ERCOT's report lists self-limiting facilities (batteries that limit injection below nameplate) at 0 MW; repowers of existing plants show 0 with no capacity change. "Approved for energization" and "approved for synchronization" are ERCOT's own milestones (backfeed, then first power). "Shared with N other requests" counts active requests anywhere in ERCOT naming the same point of interconnection, matched on ERCOT's exact wording, so a bus written two ways counts as two points. Source: ERCOT Generator Interconnection Status (GIS) Report, September 2026, planning data entered by developers and transmission providers that ERCOT says may contain errors. Parcel & Grid is not affiliated with ERCOT.
Who to contact in Brooks County
- Brooks County appraisal district and tax office: parcel records and agricultural valuation, which a lease can end (directory, Texas Comptroller · rollback taxes).
- TCEQ Region 15, Harlingen: 1804 W Jefferson Ave, Harlingen TX 78550-5247, 956-425-6010; spills, 24 hours: 800-832-8224. Handles the construction stormwater permit for sites of 1 acre or more (TCEQ).
- Brooks County judge and commissioners court: road use agreements, tax agreements, and floodplain development permits where the county takes part in the flood insurance program.
- Flood maps: FEMA map search for Brooks County.
Permits and reviews for Brooks County
Texas has no state siting permit for solar or wind, and Texas counties generally have no zoning authority, so a project in Brooks County is shaped by site control, the county road use agreement, tax agreements, and the grid connection (what still applies · the twelve approvals, stage by stage). Wetland, endangered species, historic, and FAA reviews depend on the site: statewide and federal contacts · decommissioning law.
How a project in Brooks County connects to the grid
Brooks County is on the ERCOT grid. The projects listed above are in ERCOT's South load zone. The serving utility handles the connection request. Interconnection by market and utility · what ERCOT is.
How long it takes. ERCOT staff put the connection process at 18 to 30 months for generation of 10 MW or more, before construction or supply delays (ERCOT, Oct. 2024). Across the U.S., the median project built in 2025 took 61 months from interconnection request to commercial operation (Berkeley Lab, Queued Up 2026), so a lease signed today usually means construction years out: timelines by market.
Solar for homes and businesses in Brooks County
Texas rules for rooftop and on-site systems are the same in every county; your electric utility sets the application steps: Texas home and business solar rules · your utility's application links.
Get the land report for a spot in Brooks County
Get a free land report for any point: flood zone, wetlands, nearest power line, soils, and parcel acreage.
Other counties served by TCEQ Region 15
Cameron · Hidalgo · Jim Hogg · Kenedy · Starr · Willacy