Power & SitesUnited States

ERCOT puts surveyed connection requests at 177 GW

Credited to Rackline · James Whitfield · interchange.puc.texas.gov12h ago

Useful

ERCOT's preliminary large-load survey responses cover approximately 177 gigawatts of requested grid connections, the Texas grid operator said, with West Texas accounting for 73 GW, or 41% of capacity. The figures describe connection requests, not approved, built or contracted demand.

In a Nov. 4 filing prepared for the Public Utility Commission of Texas' Nov. 5 open meeting, ERCOT said 433 of 465 loads had responded to its State and Community Impact request for information. That is 93% of the loads surveyed, covering approximately 97% of requested interconnection capacity, according to ERCOT. The percentages measure different things: response count and requested capacity.

The results, filed in PUCT Project No. 59142, are preliminary as of Nov. 5 and subject to change. A separate utility survey has a response deadline of 5 p.m. CST on Nov. 6.

All 245 large loads, defined as requests of at least 75 megawatts, responded to the community-impact survey. ERCOT said 417 responses arrived on time and 16 arrived late; 32 medium-load responses remained outstanding.

The detailed capacity and location charts use a reviewed dataset of 429 loads, rather than the full 433 responses. The location chart assigns zones using facility coordinates. ERCOT cautioned that the zone assigned when a facility connects can differ. West Texas has the largest share of requested capacity in the preliminary count, not a majority.

The survey also leaves gaps in project information. ERCOT said respondents answered 83% of nearly 67,000 questions. Projects planning to connect in 2028 or later returned more answers marked not applicable or unable to answer, which ERCOT linked to their earlier stage of development.

Separately, ERCOT's Batch Zero eligibility review remains incomplete. Staff and outside counsel have reviewed first-round responses from 257 developers. Recurring problems include missing documentation of related companies, inability to demonstrate control of a site, uncertainty over equipment delivery before connection and difficulty confirming financial security amounts.

ERCOT said it was issuing second-round requests and expected to send them to 80% of developers. Those requests give developers five business days to explain deficiencies. The filing does not say that the full 80% had already received them.

The separate medium-load survey went to 132 utilities on Oct. 26, one request per utility. It covers connection requests for 10 MW to less than 75 MW received from July 1 through Oct. 31. The filing sets the Nov. 6 deadline but does not establish that utilities have submitted their answers. ERCOT plans to follow up with utilities that do not respond; the timing of a later round to update responses is not set.

Source · interchange.puc.texas.gov

Front

Power & Sites · United States

Cramer’s week ahead: AI data center stocks face another hurdle and so does the Fed

Credited to CNBC · cnbc.com · 11h ago

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Friday said that next week's earnings from leading neoclouds could test investor confidence in the battered data center trade.

Stocks rebounded to end a turbulent election week, which saw investors dumping companies tied to the artificial intelligence infrastructure build-out after Democrats flipped the House and Senate and some key gubernatorial seats. Following the worst day on Wall Street in 19 months, Friday's gains were welcome but not to be trusted. Cramer remained skeptical of any recovery, as he also had been about what proved to be Wednesday's short-lived midterm rally.

Cramer argued that concerns about data center spending and financing have yet to be resolved. "It felt like a dead cat bounce," the " Mad Money " host said, referring to Friday's largely positive market. "I know we are never going to get an all clear. But it still feels like there are plenty of sellers lurking, just waiting for stocks to make a bigger recovery so they can get out."

With that backdrop, Cramer turned to the week ahead.

Constellation Energy reports before the bell, offering an early look at how political uncertainty could affect the power infrastructure supporting AI data centers.

On Holding reports earnings, but Cramer remains cautious on the athletic footwear. He said the industry feels increasingly crowded. "I am going to pass on this one," he said.

The consumer price index also arrives Tuesday morning, with Cramer looking for a meaningful slowdown in inflation. He warned that persistently high prices could prompt Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh to raise interest rates again. The Fed hiked rates in September for the first time in three years.

After the close, neocloud CoreWeave reports in what could be one of the week's most consequential earnings releases. Cramer said the heavily indebted neocloud needs to explain how it plans to finance its expansion and manage its borrowing costs.

Corteva reports in an otherwise quiet session. Cramer said the agricultural chemicals company has fallen sharply out of favor with investors and wants to better understand what's weighing on its stock.

Nebius, another high-profile neocloud, reports before the bell, providing another major test for the AI infrastructure trade following results from CoreWeave. Cramer said investors will be looking for strong new orders, completed data centers and a robust pipeline of future projects. "What I don't want to hear is that the sites they are building are coming in late and overbudget," he said.

Cisco Systems also reports Thursday evening. He said the networking provider may be oversold, but would wait to see how the market responds to CoreWeave and Nebius before buying.

Applied Materials reports as well. Although the semiconductor equipment maker's shares have fallen sharply from their highs, Cramer cautioned that a steep decline alone does not make a stock attractive. "Remember, we don't care where a stock comes from. We just care about where it is going," he said.

Kraft Heinz holds an investor meeting Thursday. Cramer remains optimistic about CEO Steve Cahillane's ability to unlock shareholder value, citing his track record at Kellogg.

The producer price index comes in Friday, offering another important reading on inflation.

Jim Cramer's Guide to Investing

Click here to read Jim Cramer's Guide to Investing at no cost to help you build long-term wealth and invest smarter

Questions for Cramer? Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC

Want to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up! Mad Money Twitter - Jim Cramer Twitter - Facebook - Instagram

Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.com

Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.

Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.