State regulators in Texas have frozen the issuance of development permits for new data centers following a directive from Governor Greg Abbott. The halt applies to projects totaling approximately 470 GW, a capacity that exceeds five times the all-time peak electricity demand of the state's power grid.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality must stop all approvals for such projects until the Electric Reliability Council of Texas completes an audit of electricity and water supply risks. This move comes several weeks after the governor issued an initial moratorium to ensure new facilities do not overload the power grid.