ERCOT’s AI Load Wave Hits the Cost-Allocation Wall — June 12, 2026

ERCOT’s data-center queue has ballooned to 519 large-load requests in two years, sharpening fights at FERC and in Congress over who pays for AI-driven grid upgrades as Meta locks in new power and capacity deals. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Texas grid slammed by 519 power-hungry AI data center requests in just two years — The Cool Down https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/texas-data-centers-electricity-impact-power-grid/ 2. ‘Buckle up’: FERC, lawmakers grapple with data center costs - E&E News by POLITICO — POLITICO https://www.eenews.net/articles/buckle-up-ferc-lawmakers-grapple-with-data-center-costs/ 3. RWE secures Meta PPA on 298-MW Texas solar project — Solar Power World https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2026/06/rwe-secures-meta-ppa-on-298-mw-texas-solar-project/ 4. Reliance, Meta Partner to Build AI-Enabled Data Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat — TelecomTalk https://telecomtalk.info/reliance-meta-ai-datacentre-in-gujarat-jamnagar/1008451/ 5. NVIDIA's First Co-Packaged Optics Switch Lands at Lambda, Cutting 3kW Per Rack and Freeing Power for 3,137 Extra GPUs — Wccftech https://wccftech.com/nvidia-first-co-packaged-optics-switch-lands-at-lambda-cutting-3kw-per-rack/ Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]