Texas Virtual Currency Mining Facility Registration Regime

SB 1929 added a large flexible load registration provision for virtual currency mining facilities that enter into retail electric service agreements in the ERCOT power region. The statute defines a virtual currency mining facility as a facility using electronic equipment to add virtual currency transactions to a distributed ledger. The statutory trigger applies where the facility requires more than 75 megawatts of total load and the load is interruptible.

The PUCT rule, 16 TAC §25.114, adds operational detail. It requires a covered facility receiving retail electric service in ERCOT at transmission or distribution voltage to register as a large flexible load if it requires more than 75 MW and its interruptible load equals 10% or more of actual or anticipated annual peak demand. Existing covered facilities had a February 1, 2025 registration deadline; new covered facilities must register no later than one working day after beginning retail electric service.

The registration filing is designed to give the PUCT and ERCOT visibility into large, interruptible mining loads. Registrants must provide legal business names, parent and principal information, business names, mailing and contact details, business form, Texas Secretary of State information, and facility-specific data. Facility data includes the name, address, county, property owner, lessor or host, square footage, infrastructure description, serving transmission and distribution providers, load zone, premise identifier, anticipated five-year peak load, interruptible-load percentage, prior-year actual peak load, and prior-year total power consumption where applicable.

The rule also requires an affidavit from an authorized person affirming the registrant’s authority to do business in Texas, the accuracy of the filing, timely updates, notice to relevant transmission and distribution providers, and compliance with applicable law and rules. Registrants must amend registration information within 30 days after a covered change.

SB 1929 authorizes the PUCT to share registration information with the independent organization certified for ERCOT. The rule’s annual renewal cycle requires virtual currency mining facility registrations to be renewed on or before March 1 each calendar year. Commission staff must identify registrations that have not been renewed by December 31 and provide ERCOT with a list by January 31. Violations of the rule are treated as Class A violations under the PUCT’s electric-service enforcement classification system.

The Texas regime is important because it treats large virtual currency mining facilities as a distinct class of large flexible load for grid-planning and regulatory visibility. It does not resolve every issue that may affect a mining site, including local land-use rules, interconnection studies, environmental permits, noise disputes, tax incentives, demand-response participation, or later large-load legislation. Editors should review adjacent Texas energy-law developments separately when linking this profile to broader data-center, ERCOT, or Bitcoin-mining coverage.