ERCOT grid congestion & captive power

When a transmission line binds, generation on the trapped side gets curtailed — that underutilized “captive” power is exactly what a co-located datacenter can absorb, often with a faster interconnection than a greenfield build (the constraint relief a new load provides is already valued). These are the 78 most-constrained points in the ERCOT grid, ranked by how often they bind and how expensive relief gets, from 8,820 priced SCED intervals.

How to read this: a high binding count means the pinch point recurs; a high shadow price ($/MW to relieve) means it's expensive, i.e. severely constrained. Most sit on 138 kV lines in South & West Texas (the Rio Grande / Laredo corridor) — the parts of ERCOT where trapped generation is most concentrated today.

#	Constraint	Corridor	Binds	Max $/MW	Avg $/MW
1	FORTMA_YELWJC1_1	YELWJCKT → FORTMA138 kV	413	$881	$146
2	LARDVN_LOBO2_1	LOBO → LARDVNTH138 kV	766	$422	$115
3	587__A	ARGYL → LWSVH138 kV	339	$942	$377
4	BRUNI_69_1	BRUNI → BRUNI138 kV	119	$2,600	$723
5	ASHERT_CATARI1_1	ASHERTON → CATARINA138 kV	332	$905	$106
6	BR_HOC09_A	BR → HOC138 kV	302	$920	$112
7	943__B	ENWSW → SHKSW138 kV	50	$3,500	$289
8	HAINE__LA_PAL1_1	LA_PALMA → HAINE_DR138 kV	368	$419	$151
9	3180__A	FCRSW → CDHSW138 kV	83	$1,311	$461
10	ATSO_SONR1_1	SONR → ATSO69 kV	442	$245	$115
11	FREER_LOBO1_1	LOBO → FREER69 kV	114	$936	$285
12	HON_DEVI_1	HONDOCK → DEVINESW69 kV	139	$545	$245
13	651__B	CMNSW → CMNTP138 kV	211	$348	$72
14	THWZEN71_A	ZEN → THW345 kV	478	$131	$44
15	6965__A	LNGSW → PRLSW345 kV	283	$181	$106
16	CELANE_KLEBER1_1	CELANEBI → KLEBERG138 kV	183	$245	$83
17	35055__A	SAMSW → VENSW345 kV	174	$235	$113
18	GREENL_WEAVER1_1	WEAVERRD → GREENLK69 kV	13	$2,728	$393
19	MADDUX_SAPOWE1_1	MADDUX → SAPOWER138 kV	236	$134	$44
20	UVALDE	—	503	$56	$14
21	HHGTOM_1	HHGT → OMEGA345 kV	279	$83	$59
22	SOLSTICE_PST1	SOLSTICE → SOLSTICE138 kV	119	$195	$38
23	NELRIO	—	381	$59	$13
24	VAN_VNDB_1	VANBLTSS → VANBLT6969 kV	74	$301	$91
25	NE_LOB	—	445	$45	$18
26	PALOUS_WOLFCA1_1	PALOUSE → WOLFCAMP138 kV	84	$233	$73
27	BLESSING_1382	BLESSING → BLESSING345 kV	144	$133	$34
28	450__A	SNDSW → AUSTRO345 kV	198	$89	$23
29	122T122_1	COMFOR → RAYBAR138 kV	10	$1,541	$1,138
30	NLARSW_PILONC1_1	PILONCIL → NLARSW138 kV	51	$291	$92
31	I_KALO	—	125	$86	$30
32	E_PASP	—	55	$109	$48
33	I_DUPS_RESNIK1_1	I_DUPSW → RESNIK138 kV	99	$56	$14
34	40T189_1	FERGUS → WIRTZ138 kV	149	$37	$10
35	6325__D	LTVSB → GRDPR138 kV	8	$433	$195
36	35065__A	FVLSW → FTSSW345 kV	67	$46	$35
37	MAXWEL_WHITIN1_1	MAXWELL → WHITING138 kV	47	$66	$23
38	BALLIN_PAINTR1_1	BALLINGE → PAINTROC69 kV	2	$1,566	$1,509
39	HEC_NEDIN2_1	HEC → NEDIN138 kV	166	$18	$7
40	35045__A	SAMSW → FVLSW345 kV	64	$46	$13
41	109__A	EXCSW → RNKSW345 kV	48	$59	$32
42	BAKRFLD_CEDCAN_1	CEDACA → BAKESW345 kV	40	$55	$18
43	BLASCOFE_RC_1	BLASW → COFESSRC138 kV	26	$83	$7
44	PANTER_WESMER1_1	WESMER → PANTERA138 kV	17	$122	$101
45	SND_ORAN_1	ORNGROV → SNDIEGS69 kV	12	$177	$135
46	MLB_SLR_TLINE_1	MLB_SLR → QUASAR345 kV	36	$57	$44
47	E_PATA	—	16	$113	$40
48	MCCAMY	—	65	$24	$3
49	VERTRE_WESLAU1_1	WESLAU → VERTREES138 kV	13	$112	$91
50	6945__A	MGSES → CATSW345 kV	18	$82	$31

Dataset updated August 2026. Screening estimates derived from public data sources.

Derived from ERCOT SCED binding-constraint disclosures (shadow prices & overloaded elements). Station codes are ERCOT electrical buses; precise site-level mapping and non-ERCOT ISOs (CAISO, SPP) are on the roadmap. A screening signal of where captive power sits — confirm deliverable capacity with an interconnection study. Statewide ERCOT.