Nolan 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 Nolan County and in TCEQ Region 3 before signing a solar, wind, or battery storage lease.
Check land in Nolan 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 Nolan County, 2013–2024, from the serving utilities' EIA filings.
What energy projects are proposed in Nolan County?
ERCOT's September 2026 interconnection report lists 11 proposed energy projects in Nolan County (4 solar, 3 wind, 3 battery storage and 1 gas), about 3,692 MW in all. 1 of the 11 has a signed interconnection agreement, and 1 has been approved for energization or synchronization. The table also lists 7 changes to existing plants (repowers or capacity changes), not counted above.
What stands out in Nolan County
By capacity, solar leads in Nolan County with 1,348 MW across 4 projects, followed by gas (1 project, 1,026 MW) and battery storage (3 projects, 917 MW). The largest single project is Trailblazer Natural Gas Generation Plant, a 1,026 MW gas turbine project listed under Trailblazer Infrastructure LLC, still in study, and its target online date is Dec 2027. Of the 11, 10 are still in ERCOT's study process and 1 is approved for energization or synchronization. Connection points are mostly at 345 kV (8 projects) and 138 kV (2 projects) (why the voltage matters). Trailblazer Infrastructure LLC is listed on the most projects here (3 of 11); 9 different companies appear in all. Target online dates for the projects not yet running span Jan 2026 to Dec 2029. All of them fall in ERCOT's West 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetwater 2 repower71050 Bitter Creek 345kV · shared with 2 other requests | Leeward Energy | Wind | 7.3 | Nov 2024 | Approved for synchronization |
| Trent repower1338 Eskota 138kV | TRENT WIND FARM LLC | Wind | 6.4 | Jan 2026 | Approved for synchronization |
| Maryneal Wind71050 Bitter Creek 345kV · shared with 2 other requests | Maryneal Windpower, LLC | Wind | 182.4 | Aug 2026 | Approved for synchronization |
| Champion Wind RepowerBus# 1048 - Tonkawa | Champion Wind Farm, LLC | Wind | 0.3 | Dec 2026 | Approved for synchronization |
| Buffalo Gap 2 Wind Repower6216 Bluff Creek 138 kV | Buffalo Gap Wind Farm 2, LLC | Wind | 231.5 | Feb 2027 | Signed; security posted |
| Sweetwater 1 repower71050 Bitter Creek 345kV · shared with 2 other requests | Leeward Energy | Wind | 3.0 | Nov 2024 date passed; status per ERCOT | Signed Oct 2002 |
| Buzzi Maryneal Wind Project1413 SWEETCRK-9 | Buzzi Unicem USA | Wind | 18.0 | Jan 2026 date passed; status per ERCOT | In study |
| Trailblazer BESS11420 Sweetwater East Switch 345 kV · shared with 1 other request | Trailblazer Infrastructure LLC | Battery storage (paired with solar) | 262.0 | Dec 2027 | In study |
| Trailblazer Natural Gas Generation Plant11420 Sweetwater East Switch 345 kV · shared with 1 other request | Trailblazer Infrastructure LLC | Gas turbine | 1,026.0 | Dec 2027 | In study |
| Trailblazer Solar#11420 Sweetwater East Switch 345 kV | Trailblazer Infrastructure LLC | Solar | 323.0 | Dec 2027 | In study |
| Sweetwater 4 Repower<71050> <L_BITTCR5_1Y> <345kV> | Sweetwater Wind 4 LLC | Wind | 421.2 | Feb 2029 | In study |
| Sweetwater 5 RepowerBitter Creek Substation | Sweetwater Wind 5 LLC | Wind | 79.1 | Feb 2029 | In study |
| Harley Hand Solar11420 Sweetwater East 345kV · shared with 1 other request | HECTATE ENERGY HARLEY HAND SOLAR LLC | Solar | 505.5 | Apr 2029 | In study |
| Harley Hand Storage11420 Sweetwater East 345kV · shared with 1 other request | Hecate Energy Harley Hand Storage LLC | Battery storage (paired with solar) | 503.4 | Apr 2029 | In study |
| Themisto SolarTap 345kV Champion Creek #1414 – Sweetwater East #11420 | Themisto Solar, LLC | Solar | 301.4 | Jun 2029 | In study |
| Sepanta Solar10198 ESKOTA_9 138kV | BREG - Belgian Renewable Energy Group | Solar | 218.0 | Sep 2029 | In study |
| Jaguarundi Energy StorageBus # 1339, Eskota 138kV | PowerPulse LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 152.0 | Nov 2029 | In study |
| Sagebrush WindTAP 345KV 11420 SWEETWATER EAST - 11406 CENTRAL BLUFF CKT2 | ACE DevCo NC, LLC | Wind | 200.5 | Dec 2029 | In study |
Crowded connection points in Nolan 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.
Sweetwater East (11420) 345 kV 7 requests · 3,122 MW7 in study
- Trailblazer Natural Gas Generation Plant 27INR0575 · Gas turbine · 1,026 MW · In study
- Harley Hand Solar 23INR0008 · Solar · 506 MW · In study
- Harley Hand Storage 23INR0214 · Battery storage · 503 MW · In study
- Trailblazer Solar 27INR0578 · Solar · 323 MW · In study
- Themisto Solar 27INR0218 · Solar · 301 MW · In study
- Trailblazer BESS 27INR0576 · Battery storage · 262 MW · In study
- Sagebrush Wind 28INR0386 · Wind · 200 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 Nolan County
- Nolan County appraisal district and tax office: parcel records and agricultural valuation, which a lease can end (directory, Texas Comptroller · rollback taxes).
- TCEQ Region 3, Abilene: 1977 Industrial Blvd, Abilene TX 79602-7833, 325-698-9674; spills, 24 hours: 800-832-8224. Handles the construction stormwater permit for sites of 1 acre or more (TCEQ).
- Nolan 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 Nolan County.
Permits and reviews for Nolan County
Texas has no state siting permit for solar or wind, and Texas counties generally have no zoning authority, so a project in Nolan 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.
Local action: as of October 17, 2026, we found no 2024–2026 commissioners court action on solar, wind, or battery storage posted on Nolan County's website or reported by local news. Counties act mostly through tax abatement and road use agreements, so ask the county judge's office whether any are pending.
How a project in Nolan County connects to the grid
Nolan County is on the ERCOT grid. The projects listed above are in ERCOT's West 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 Nolan 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 Nolan 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 3
Archer · Baylor · Brown · Callahan · Clay · Coleman · Comanche · Cottle · Eastland · Fisher · Foard · Hardeman · Haskell · Jack · Jones · Kent · Knox · Mitchell · Montague · Runnels · Scurry · Shackelford · Stephens · Stonewall · Taylor · Throckmorton · Wichita · Wilbarger · Young