Vistra backs Texas data center queue audit, says Comanche Peak-Amazon deal on track for 2027

Vistra Corp. executives used an 8 August Q2 earnings call to endorse Governor Greg Abbott's 3 August directive ordering an audit of all data center projects in the ERCOT interconnection queue, saying the pause is overdue and unlikely to affect the company's flagship load-serving deal at Comanche Peak.^[1]

What the governor ordered

On 3 August 2026, Abbott issued a letter to the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT requiring an audit of "all data center projects currently advancing through ERCOT's interconnection process before any additional data centers are approved to move forward." Any project that fails to comply "must be denied," Abbott said.

The scale of the queue is the core concern. ERCOT is tracking more than 1,800 projects representing over 474 GW of requested capacity - more than five times the grid's record peak demand.^[1] Approximately 90% of the new power requests are data centers, Abbott said.

In response, ERCOT issued Market Notice M-A080326-01, announcing it would not deliver Batch Zero Large Load classification notifications by the previously scheduled 7 August deadline, and will instead seek a good cause exception from the PUCT at the commission's 20 August open meeting.

Vistra's position

CEO Jim Burke was unambiguous. "I'd like to see the queues culled, at the end of the day," he said on the call.^[1] His reasoning: the queue as expressed - over 400 GW - bears little relation to realistic demand. Burke argued the real data center demand is "somewhere in the 12 to 15 gigawatts by 2030."

Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer Stacey Doré echoed that view. She said Vistra is "also supportive of Governor Abbott's attempt to thin the queue and ensure responsible development," while noting that "customers don't need perfect clarity in order to contract."

Burke's near-term read: the audit is "going to probably pause some of the reviews for a couple of months." He framed the 2026 softness in ERCOT forward prices as expected, not alarming:

• Vistra now expects 4% to 6% annual load growth in ERCOT, revised down from a prior 5% to 6% range.^[1]
• The company's long-term ERCOT forecast of 115-120 GW by 2030 is unchanged.^[1]
• Load the company expects to connect is concentrated in the 2027-2028 window, not 2026.^[1]

Comanche Peak and the Amazon PPA

The specific project Vistra is watching most closely is its 2.4 GW Comanche Peak nuclear plant in Glen Rose, Texas. Comanche Peak is set to begin delivering power to Amazon in 2027 under a 20-year power purchase agreement.^[1] Burke said baseload projects "have been studied" and he has received no signals from Austin that Comanche Peak is "materially off on time frame." Baseload projects like Comanche Peak are not expected to be delayed; near-term energizations from other developers could be affected.

Vistra is in favor of the pause on data center development in Texas pending the audit, and executives doubt it will affect the 1.2 GW deal to serve the Amazon data center from Comanche Peak.

Broader market exposure

The stakes for the wider industry are significant. Bloomberg NEF estimates the pause puts approximately 49.8 GW - roughly 20% of the total U.S. data center pipeline - at risk of delay. Data center revenue losses could reach up to $8 billion by Q1 2027 if 60% of delayed capacity is AI-related.

Senate Bill 6, signed into law in June 2025, established disclosure and curtailment obligations for large loads of 75 MW or more, forming the regulatory foundation for the current oversight escalation. The 90th Texas Legislature convenes in January 2027, when PUCT is expected to seek expanded statutory authority over the data center industry.

The PUCT's 20 August open meeting is the next formal decision point - specifically whether ERCOT receives the good cause exception it needs to resume Batch Zero processing under any revised criteria.