Abbott Jul 24 joint-memo actions / pay own infrastructure / 3 legislative asks 2027 / Project 58000 4CP→12CP comments Aug 11 adoption by Dec 31 / ride-through Jul 13 / Docket 59220 Crusoe/Ensign 260 MW + 265.5 MW wind uncapped curtailment first §39.169 test / Amazon GW Ranch 7.65 GW Pecos County off-grid largest TX BTM / NRG 1.2 GW BYOP CCGT / Energy Vault 1.25 GW BESS+gensets

While the audit froze the front door, the rest of the Texas architecture kept assembling. Abbott's July 17 PUCT/ERCOT joint memo produced its public actions July 24: data centers pay for their own infrastructure, residential ratepayers get shielded from data-center-driven transmission costs, and three legislative asks queued for the 2027 session codifying 'data centers pay their own way.' The mechanical implementation moved July 9, when PUCT approved publication of the Project 58000 rule shifting large-load transmission cost allocation from 4CP toward 12CP — comments closed August 11, adoption targeted by December 31. The 4CP avoidance game — curtail four summer afternoons, dodge your transmission bill — dies with it. Ride-through rules for large loads (the post-NoVA-trip-event concern) were approved July 13. The SB 6 §39.169 net-metering machinery produced its first test case July 24: PUCT Docket 59220 approved Crusoe/Ensign's 260 MW AI data center co-located with 265.5 MW of wind — with uncapped curtailment exposure. That's the Batch Zero pricing signal working as designed: co-location speed in exchange for standing last in the curtailment queue. And the off-grid escape hatch went from template to headline: on August 7, Amazon was revealed (via Distilled's scoop) as the anchor behind 'GW Ranch' — a 7.65 GW off-grid gas plant in Pecos County, the largest behind-the-meter build in Texas history, nearly 3x the Microsoft/Chevron Project Kilby announcement (2.67 GW) that defined the category in June. NRG separately announced commercial terms with a 'global hyperscaler' for a 1.2 GW dedicated CCGT under its 'Bring Your Own Power' program (Aug 4), and Energy Vault signed a 1.25 GW hybrid BESS + Caterpillar genset package for Texas hyperscaler sites (Aug 7). The Jul-7 prediction — 'expect 2-3 similar Permian announcements in 6-12 months' — cleared in five weeks, with the largest one carrying Amazon's name.

Primary source · Office of the Texas Governor — PUC and ERCOT Actions Protecting Residential Ratepayers (Jul 24 2026) + PUCT Project 58000 PFP (interchange, Jul 9 2026) + Utility Dive — Texas approves AI data center co-location next to wind farm with curtailment + Distilled — Amazon is behind one of the largest off-grid data center projects (Aug 7 2026) + NRG Q2 8-K (Aug 4 2026) ↗