PIONEER
Substation-AdjacentMerced County, California · CAISO
At a glance
PIONEER is a substation-adjacent datacenter candidate site in Merced County, California, scoring 47.4/100 DC Readiness — 35th of 234 scored sites in the county. Its nearest substation is PIONEER (0 mi, 69 kV). It sits in the CAISO grid region and the MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT service territory, where interconnection has averaged 7.6 years from request to operation. GridCensus catalogs 50 MW of candidate capacity here.
Power & interconnection
Speed to power
Deep queue and long historical waits — plan for a multi-year interconnection timeline and engage the utility early.
Connectivity
Site characteristics
Risk & environment
Location context
Regulatory climate
No notable statewide DC restriction on record; confirm local zoning and utility tariffs.
Site location
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How does PIONEER compare with other sites in Merced County?
PIONEER ranks 35th of 234 scored candidate sites in Merced County. Its 47.4/100 is roughly in line with the county average of 43.1. It is roughly in line with the California average of 45.4 and about 11% below the national average of 53.2.
Against the California average, its strongest sub-score is power availability (46 vs 36) and its weakest is water (24 vs 27). Power and speed to power each carry 20% of the composite score, fiber 12%, water 7% and hazard 6%.
How close is PIONEER to power, fiber and other datacenters?
The nearest mapped substation, PIONEER, is about 0 miles away and operates at 69 kV. The nearest located transmission bottleneck is 30515_WARNERVL_230_30800_WILSON _230_BR_1 _1 (CAISO), 11 miles away. For connectivity, the nearest internet exchange facility is 801 Tenth Street Modesto (Ayera) at 22.3 miles. 7 fiber providers report service at the location in FCC broadband data. The closest operating datacenter on record is 801 Tenth Street Modesto (Ayera), 22.3 miles away.
What are the flood, water and hazard risks at PIONEER?
The site is in FEMA flood zone X, outside the Special Flood Hazard Area (minimal or moderate flood risk). At the county level, FEMA's National Risk Index rates Merced County "Relatively High".
Full DC Readiness breakdown
All 13 weighted sub-scores (0–100) behind the composite DC Readiness score.
Nearby comparable sites
Other scored datacenter candidate sites in Merced County, ranked by DC Readiness.
| Site | Type | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOS BANOS | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 7.6 yrs | 56.5 |
| DOS AMIGOS | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 52.1 |
| WILSON | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 52.1 |
| GE3 | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 52.0 |
| SAN LUIS | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 51.9 |
| WRIGHT | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 51.9 |
| UNKNOWN306054 | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 51.9 |
| O'NEIL | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 51.9 |
PIONEER: common questions
What is the DC Readiness score of PIONEER?
PIONEER scores 47.4/100 on the GridCensus DC Readiness scale, rated fair. It ranks 35th of 234 scored sites in Merced County. The Merced County average is 43.1 and the California average is 45.4.
What is the nearest substation to PIONEER?
The nearest mapped substation is PIONEER, about 0 miles away, at 69 kV. GridCensus catalogs 50 MW of candidate capacity for the site.
Which electric utility serves PIONEER?
MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT (political subdivision) holds the retail service territory that contains the site.
What grid region is PIONEER in?
PIONEER is in the CAISO region. Projects interconnecting there have averaged a 7.6-year wait from queue request to operation.
Is PIONEER in a flood zone?
The site is in FEMA flood zone X, outside the Special Flood Hazard Area (minimal or moderate flood risk).
How far is PIONEER from an internet exchange?
The nearest internet exchange facility is 801 Tenth Street Modesto (Ayera), about 22.3 miles away; 7 fiber providers report service at the location.
Related pages
About this data
Source: GridCensus composite of HIFLD transmission and substation data, EIA, FEMA National Risk Index, FCC broadband data, PeeringDB and ISO interconnection queues, as published October 10, 2026 — GridCensus refreshes it monthly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: GridCensus, “PIONEER, Merced County, CA”, https://gridcensus.com/datacenter-sites/california/merced-county/pioneer-211d6c45 (data as of October 10, 2026).
Dataset updated . Screening estimates derived from public data sources.
Figures are screening estimates derived from public infrastructure data. Catalogued capacity reflects theoretical candidate capacity, not deliverable or committed interconnection. Confirm all values with the utility, ISO, and on-the-ground due diligence.
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