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Ionic Digital Wins Provisional Base Load Classification in ERCOT Batch Zero for 466 MW Ward County Expansion

By: IDCNOVARegion: North America
Ionic Digital Inc. has received a provisional Base Load classification from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) for the remaining 466 megawatts of energization capacity at its Ward County campus, a critical regulatory milestone that would allow the company to reach its full requested demand of 700 MW at the West Texas site.

The company said Texas-New Mexico Power, its interconnecting transmission service provider for the Ward County campus, informed it that ERCOT had provisionally classified the 466 MW energization request as Base Load under the grid operator's Batch Zero process. The classification represents a significant step forward for Ionic Digital, which has been navigating ERCOT's evolving large load interconnection framework as data center demand surges across Texas.

If finalized, the additional 466 MW would bring the Ward County campus to its full aggregate demand of 700 MW. Ionic Digital said it continues to target energization of the final tranche by the end of 2027.

The classification remains provisional and is subject to ERCOT's ongoing verification and audit process, as well as a final classification determination, with oversight from the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Ionic Digital said it is fully participating in that process and shares Governor Greg Abbott's focus on grid reliability and the responsible development of data centers in Texas.

The development comes amid heightened scrutiny of large-scale data center power requests in Texas, where ERCOT has been working to balance rapid load growth from AI and high-performance computing facilities against grid stability concerns. The Batch Zero process was introduced as part of ERCOT's efforts to bring greater rigor and predictability to how large loads are studied and approved for interconnection.

Ionic Digital positions itself as a fast-track provider of high-performance computing and data center infrastructure, targeting the artificial intelligence sector's growing demand for power-intensive capacity. The company says it provides fully ready assets and rigorous due diligence for what it describes as the world's most intensive AI workloads, led by a team with experience developing hundreds of megawatts and raising billions in capital.