Cipher Digital secures 3.2 GW of conditional ERCOT classifications across Texas projects

Cipher Digital just got the green light to start drawing serious power from the Texas grid, even before the wires are fully in place to support it. On September 15, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas issued conditional Batch Zero classifications covering 3.2 GW of Cipher’s proposed projects, split between 1.1 GW of Conditional Base Load and 2.1 GW of Conditional Studied Load. What ERCOT actually approved The 1.1 GW of Conditional Base Load breaks down into two projects: 100 MW at Stingray and a full gigawatt at Colchis. The 2.1 GW of Conditional Studied Load spans four sites. Mikeska accounts for 500 MW, Apollo for 900 MW, Stingray Phase II adds another 200 MW, and McLennan rounds it out at 500 MW. The more immediately actionable piece is the PCLR qualification. ERCOT determined that 1.4 GW across Mikeska and Apollo qualifies as Partial Capacity Load Requirement, which means Cipher can use the full load at those two sites before transmission buildout is complete. The trade-off: Cipher accepts the risk of curtailment, meaning ERCOT can throttle their power consumption during periods of grid stress. The bigger picture for Cipher’s pipeline ERCOT had sent provisional classifica...