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Franklin 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

7 proposed energy projects from ERCOT's September 2026 report, plus who to call in Franklin County and in TCEQ Region 5 before signing a solar, wind, or battery storage lease.

Check land in Franklin 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 Franklin County, 2013–2024, from the serving utilities' EIA filings.

What energy projects are proposed in Franklin County?

ERCOT's September 2026 interconnection report lists 7 proposed energy projects in Franklin County (3 solar, 3 battery storage and 1 gas), about 2,374 MW in all. 4 of the 7 have a signed interconnection agreement.

What stands out in Franklin County

By capacity, gas leads in Franklin County with 1,660 MW across 1 project, followed by solar (3 projects, 505 MW) and battery storage (3 projects, 209 MW); 1 self-limiting project (reported at 0 MW because the resource limits its own output) is listed without a capacity. The largest single project is Prairie Ridge (Gas - CC), a 1,660 MW gas combined cycle project listed under Tenaska Power Generation, LLC, still in study, and its target online date is Jun 2032. Of the 7, 3 are still in ERCOT's study process and 4 have posted security or started construction. Every listed connection point is on the 345 kV system (why the voltage matters). Lazy Frog Solar, LLC, Lupinus Solar 2, LLC and Lupinus Solar, LLC are each listed on 2 projects; 4 different companies appear in all. Target online dates for the projects not yet running span Apr 2027 to Jun 2032. All of them fall in ERCOT's North 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.

Crowded connection points in Franklin 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.

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 Franklin County

• Franklin County appraisal district and tax office: parcel records and agricultural valuation, which a lease can end (directory, Texas Comptroller · rollback taxes).
• TCEQ Region 5, Tyler: 2916 Teague Dr, Tyler TX 75701-3734, 903-535-5100; spills, 24 hours: 800-832-8224. Handles the construction stormwater permit for sites of 1 acre or more (TCEQ).
• Franklin 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 Franklin County.

Permits and reviews for Franklin County

Texas has no state siting permit for solar or wind, and Texas counties generally have no zoning authority, so a project in Franklin 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 Franklin County connects to the grid

Franklin County is on the ERCOT grid. The projects listed above are in ERCOT's North 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 Franklin 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.

Other counties served by TCEQ Region 5

Anderson · Bowie · Camp · Cass · Cherokee · Delta · Gregg · Harrison · Henderson · Hopkins · Lamar · Marion · Morris · Panola · Rains · Red River · Rusk · Smith · Titus · Upshur · Van Zandt · Wood