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Zapata 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

27 proposed energy projects from ERCOT's September 2026 report, plus who to call in Zapata County and in TCEQ Region 16 before signing a solar, wind, or battery storage lease.

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

What energy projects are proposed in Zapata County?

ERCOT's September 2026 interconnection report lists 27 proposed energy projects in Zapata County (10 solar, 9 wind and 8 battery storage), about 6,291 MW in all. 5 of the 27 have a signed interconnection agreement.

What stands out in Zapata County

By capacity, solar leads in Zapata County with 2,283 MW across 10 projects, followed by battery storage (8 projects, 2,034 MW) and wind (9 projects, 1,974 MW). The largest single project is Falcon BESS, a 517 MW battery storage paired with solar project listed under Falcon Energy Project, LLC, still in study, and its target online date is Dec 2029. Of the 27, 22 are still in ERCOT's study process and 5 have posted security or started construction. Connection points are mostly at 345 kV (20 projects) and 138 kV (7 projects) (why the voltage matters). Vaquero Wind Energy, LLC is listed on the most projects here (4 of 27); 17 different companies appear in all. Target online dates for the projects not yet running span Jan 2027 to Feb 2032. 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.

Crowded connection points in Zapata 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 Zapata County

• Zapata County appraisal district and tax office: parcel records and agricultural valuation, which a lease can end (directory, Texas Comptroller · rollback taxes).
• TCEQ Region 16, Laredo: 707 E Calton Rd, Ste 304, Laredo TX 78041-3887, 956-791-6611; spills, 24 hours: 800-832-8224. Handles the construction stormwater permit for sites of 1 acre or more (TCEQ).
• Zapata 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 Zapata County.

Permits and reviews for Zapata County

Texas has no state siting permit for solar or wind, and Texas counties generally have no zoning authority, so a project in Zapata 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.

Recent local action: On June 10, 2024, the Zapata County Commissioners Court voted to authorize the county judge to enter into tax abatement agreements with Ignis Texas Solar Three, LLC and with Falcon BESS, LLC, each pending review by the county attorney. Both motions were approved by the affirmative vote of all members of the court. (Zapata County commissioners court minutes; checked October 17, 2026).

How a project in Zapata County connects to the grid

Zapata 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 Zapata 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 16

Dimmit · Duval · Kinney · La Salle · Maverick · McMullen · Val Verde · Webb · Zavala