Rains 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
1 proposed energy project from ERCOT's September 2026 report, plus who to call in Rains County and in TCEQ Region 5 before signing a solar, wind, or battery storage lease.
Check land in Rains 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 Rains County, 2013–2024, from the serving utilities' EIA filings.
What energy projects are proposed in Rains County?
ERCOT's September 2026 interconnection report lists 1 proposed energy project in Rains County (battery storage, stand-alone), about 176 MW in all. It has a signed interconnection agreement.
What stands out in Rains County
The one project is Willis Storage, a 176 MW stand-alone battery storage project listed under Majewski Storage LLC, with its agreement signed and security posted, and its target online date is May 2028. Every listed connection point is on the 138 kV system (why the voltage matters). It falls 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.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willis Storagetap 138kV Emory North 3171 to Liberty POD 1723 | Majewski Storage LLC | Battery storage (stand-alone) | 176.1 | May 2028 | Signed; security posted |
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 Rains County
- Rains 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).
- Rains 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 Rains County.
Permits and reviews for Rains County
Texas has no state siting permit for solar or wind, and Texas counties generally have no zoning authority, so a project in Rains 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 Rains County connects to the grid
Rains 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 Rains 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 Rains 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 5
Anderson · Bowie · Camp · Cass · Cherokee · Delta · Franklin · Gregg · Harrison · Henderson · Hopkins · Lamar · Marion · Morris · Panola · Red River · Rusk · Smith · Titus · Upshur · Van Zandt · Wood