Orange County, Texas · MISO
At a glance
COW is a substation-adjacent datacenter candidate site in Orange County, Texas, scoring 52.3/100 DC Readiness — 21st of 92 scored sites in the county. Its nearest substation is COW (0 mi, 138 kV). It sits in the MISO grid region and the ENTERGY TEXAS INC. service territory, where interconnection has averaged 3.5 years from request to operation. GridCensus catalogs 100 MW of candidate capacity here.
Power & interconnection
Speed to power
Middle-of-the-pack interconnection conditions for this grid.
Connectivity
Risk & environment
Location context
Regulatory climate
No statewide moratorium, but since Aug 3, 2026 ERCOT has paused approvals to energize new datacenter and crypto loads ≥75 MW pending an audit due Dec 10, 2026. SB 6 adds large-load obligations above 75 MW.
SB 6: loads ≥75 MW accept ERCOT emergency curtailment + contribute to interconnection cost.
Incentive detail: Chapter 313/Chapter 403 property tax abatements; Texas Enterprise Fund; no state income tax.
Site location
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How does COW compare with other sites in Orange County?
COW ranks 21st of 92 scored candidate sites in Orange County. Its 52.3/100 is roughly in line with the county average of 51.7. It is roughly in line with the Texas average of 56.4 and roughly in line with the national average of 53.2.
Against the Texas average, its strongest sub-score is power availability (58 vs 46) and its weakest is fiber connectivity (58 vs 71). Power and speed to power each carry 20% of the composite score, fiber 12%, water 7% and hazard 6%.
How close is COW to power, fiber and other datacenters?
The nearest mapped substation, COW, is about 0 miles away and operates at 138 kV. The nearest located transmission bottleneck is MDOPHR99_A (ERCOT), 83 miles away. For connectivity, the nearest internet exchange facility is Equinix HO1 - Houston at 96.9 miles. 3 fiber providers report service at the location in FCC broadband data. The closest operating datacenter on record is Equinix HO1 - Houston, 96.9 miles away.
What are the flood, water and hazard risks at COW?
At the county level, FEMA's National Risk Index rates Orange County "Very 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 Orange County, ranked by DC Readiness.
| Site | Type | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HARTBURG | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 60.7 |
| UNKNOWN308840 | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 3.5 yrs | 58.2 |
| UNKNOWN304498 | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 57.2 |
| UNKNOWN301088 | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 56.3 |
| GULFWAY | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 56.3 |
| UNKNOWN304113 | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 56.3 |
| UNKNOWN300914 | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 56.3 |
| VFW PARK | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 56.3 |
COW: common questions
What is the DC Readiness score of COW?
COW scores 52.3/100 on the GridCensus DC Readiness scale, rated fair. It ranks 21st of 92 scored sites in Orange County. The Orange County average is 51.7 and the Texas average is 56.4.
What is the nearest substation to COW?
The nearest mapped substation is COW, about 0 miles away, at 138 kV. GridCensus catalogs 100 MW of candidate capacity for the site.
Which electric utility serves COW?
ENTERGY TEXAS INC. (investor owned) holds the retail service territory that contains the site; its holding company is ENTERGY CORP.
What grid region is COW in?
COW is in the MISO region. Projects interconnecting there have averaged a 3.5-year wait from queue request to operation.
How far is COW from an internet exchange?
The nearest internet exchange facility is Equinix HO1 - Houston, about 96.9 miles away; 3 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, “COW, Orange County, TX”, https://gridcensus.com/datacenter-sites/texas/orange-county/cow-6badaad8 (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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