Home › Texas › Fort Bend County
Fort Bend 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
11 proposed energy projects from ERCOT's September 2026 report, plus who to call in Fort Bend County and in TCEQ Region 12 before signing a solar, wind, or battery storage lease.
Check land in Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend County, 2013–2024, from the serving utilities' EIA filings.
What energy projects are proposed in Fort Bend County?
ERCOT's September 2026 interconnection report lists 11 proposed energy projects in Fort Bend County (11 battery storage), about 2,008 MW in all. 5 of the 11 have a signed interconnection agreement, and 3 have been approved for energization or synchronization.
What stands out in Fort Bend County
By capacity, battery storage leads in Fort Bend County with 2,008 MW across 11 projects. The largest single project is Avalon BESS, a 522 MW stand-alone battery storage project listed under Avalon BESS, LLC, with an interconnection agreement signed in Dec 2024, and its target online date is Dec 2026. Of the 11, 6 are still in ERCOT's study process, 1 has a signed interconnection agreement but no security posted yet, 1 has posted security or started construction and 3 are approved for energization or synchronization. Connection points are mostly at 345 kV (6 projects) and 138 kV (5 projects) (why the voltage matters). RWE Renewables is listed on the most projects here (2 of 11); 10 different companies appear in all. Target online dates for the projects not yet running span Dec 2026 to Jan 2030. All of them fall in ERCOT's Houston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crowned Heron BESSWA Parish 345 kV Bus #44000 · shared with 1 other request | RWE Renewables | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 154.2 | Oct 2026 | Approved for synchronization |
| Crowned Heron BESS 2WA Parish 345 kV Bus #44000 · shared with 1 other request | RWE Renewables | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 154.2 | Oct 2026 | Approved for synchronization |
| IEP Orchard BESSStation Name (TDSP Station Code): OR | IEP Tejas Verde LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 10.0 | Dec 2027 | Approved for synchronization |
| Rock Rose BESS44070 Whaley 345 kV | Rock Rose Energy Storage LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 208.5 | Mar 2027 | Signed; security posted |
| Avalon BESSTapping the 345 kV Line from Smithers (Bus# 44650) to Bellaire (Bus... | Avalon BESS, LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 522.1 | Dec 2026 | Signed Dec 2024 |
| Elan BESS42380 Needville 138kV | Elan BESS, LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 202.7 | Dec 2026 | In study |
| UNICORN BESSTap 138 kV Wa Parish (#44015) - Crabb River Road Line (#44170) Line... | Unicorn Energies | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 279.0 | Sep 2027 | In study |
| Bypass BESS II44000 Wa Parish 345 kV | Bypass BESS II LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 205.9 | Apr 2028 | In study |
| Pato Blanco StorageTap 138 kV 44010 W A Parish - 42980 NASH___S02_8 | TX BESS 4, LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 71.3 | Dec 2028 | In study |
| Redbird BESS44090 Cedar Creek 345kV | Redbird BESS, LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 100.0 | Mar 2029 | In study |
| Elysium Energy Center BESS44030 Arcola 138 kV | Adapture Solar Development | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 100.0 | Jan 2030 | In study |
Crowded connection points in Fort Bend 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.
Wa Parish (44000) 345 kV 5 requests · 1,258 MW · 3 in Fort Bend County, 2 in Matagorda2 signed; security posted, 2 approved for synchronization, 1 in study
- Crowned Heron BESS 24INR0405 · Battery storage · 154 MW · Approved for synchronization
- Crowned Heron BESS 2 24INR0493 · Battery storage · 154 MW · Approved for synchronization
- Duffy Solar 23INR0057 · Solar · 502 MW · Signed; security posted · Matagorda
- Duffy BESS 26INR0250 · Battery storage · 241 MW · Signed; security posted · Matagorda
- Bypass BESS II 26INR0525 · Battery storage · 206 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 Fort Bend County
- Fort Bend County appraisal district and tax office: parcel records and agricultural valuation, which a lease can end (directory, Texas Comptroller · rollback taxes).
- TCEQ Region 12, Houston: 5425 Polk St, Ste H, Houston TX 77023-1452, 713-767-3500; spills, 24 hours: 800-832-8224. Handles the construction stormwater permit for sites of 1 acre or more (TCEQ).
- Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend County.
Permits and reviews for Fort Bend County
Texas has no state siting permit for solar or wind, and Texas counties generally have no zoning authority, so a project in Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend County connects to the grid
Fort Bend County is on the ERCOT grid. The projects listed above are in ERCOT's Houston 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 Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend 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 12
Austin · Brazoria · Chambers · Colorado · Galveston · Harris · Liberty · Matagorda · Montgomery · Walker · Waller · Wharton