Resource Guide

ERCOT's new rule on large load ride-through: NOGRR 282

What hyperscalers and data center developers need to know

Aerial view of a hyperscale data center campus

What is NOGRR 282

NOGRR 282 is a new Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) rule that has been approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).

The ERCOT Board recommended approval, and the PUCT approved the rule. These rules are the first of their kind in North America, and we expect other grid operators to quickly follow, particularly since NERC's Level 3 Computational Load Alert was published urging others to act.

Several argued that ERCOT does not have the legal authority to place these requirements directly on retail customers and believed any requirements should instead run through utility delivery tariffs or through formal rulemaking by the Commission. Texas Industrial Energy Consumers' (TIEC) motion to intervene specifically on NOGRR 282 positions them to make further legal challenges to the rule. Given Governor Abbott's directive that regulators ensure data centers do not harm ordinary ratepayers, we expect the rule's technical requirements to remain in place, even if it requires a different implementation path.

What This Means for Your Large Load Interconnection

  • Direct compliance exposure

    New LCLs of 75 megawatts or more need to prove they can ride through disturbances before they can connect to the grid. This builds on ERCOT's interim rules, which already treat ride-through as a requirement for approval.

  • A clear process after a disturbance

    NOGRR 282 lays out specific steps if a facility fails to ride through a disturbance. Within 90 days, the facility must explain what went wrong. Within another 90 days, it must submit a plan to fix it. Within another 180 days, it must carry out that plan. If ERCOT determines the facility poses an immediate reliability risk, it can order the facility to disconnect and remain disconnected until it proves compliance.

  • Exemptions for existing projects

    Although more limited than stakeholders requested, there are carveouts for projects that have completed interconnection studies or were part of the interim Large Load Interconnection process.

  • Compliance runs through ERCOT

    ERCOT has broad discretion in this process, so having a proven compliance plan significantly derisks a project from future issues. If there are design changes at the site or operational issues, ERCOT has broad authority for restudy.

Questions LCLs Should Be Asking

For LCLs planning to operate a data center on the ERCOT grid:

  • Do both our computing load and our cooling equipment meet the approved ride-through requirements on their own?

    • Or are we assuming a cooling exception that may not actually be part of the final rule?
    • What happens if we need to make design changes on our major equipment (e.g., chillers or chips) due to cost or availability? Will this be considered a design change that requires ERCOT approval and potentially delay the project?
    • How are we going to demonstrate compliance for potential new modeling requirements under PGRR144?

  • Does our project qualify for the exemptions to compliance? If we make design changes, will we still be eligible?

  • Can our current power protection equipment handle a deep voltage drop, the hardest part of the new curve? Are we able to prove that to ERCOT, given their broad discretion?

  • Now that NOGRR 282 has passed largely as drafted, what would it cost, and how long would it take, to upgrade our power protection equipment after the fact, instead of building it right the first time?

What LCLs should do next

  1. 01

    Test your computing, cooling, and power protection equipment against the actual ride-through requirements, not just the simpler cooling standard. Prepare a power systems model to prove compliance to ERCOT.

  2. 02

    Confirm the compliance deadline and effective date now that NOGRR 282 has been approved.

  3. 03

    Design for full compliance with the approved rule, rather than assuming a cooling exception applies.

  4. 04

    Look at proven ride-through solutions before choosing equipment that may not meet the toughest part of the new rule. Consider how design changes (e.g., cooling or a new chip) could change that.

  5. 05

    Build a response plan now for what to do if you fail a ride-through event, including how you will investigate, fix, and report it.

  6. 06

    Look at ON.energy's AI UPS™ as a compliant power protection option during the design phase, instead of adding it later after a failure forces the issue.

Contact our team

Questions about what NOGRR 282 means for your project?

ON.energy's AI UPS™: Lab-Validated

ON.energy did not wait for NOGRR 282 to be finalized before testing against it. In January 2026, ON.energy installed its AI UPS™, a fully inline medium-voltage power system, at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). Independent testing there gathered full-scale hardware test results of AI UPS™ performance under a wide variety of voltage ride-through scenarios.

Validation Results

Test ConditionRelevant ERCOT RequirementAI UPS™ Result
Zero Voltage Ride Through (ZVRT)Must stay connected for 150 msMeets and exceeds
Overvoltage (120%)Must ride through for 1 secondMeets and exceeds
AI Workload Transients (±70% swing)Ramp rate compliance required (20%/min proposed)Meets and exceeds

Unlike other options on the market, AI UPS™ is fully inline, meaning power runs through it at all times rather than switching over only when a disturbance occurs. Its architecture allows for a faster and more reliable response compared to other designs that react after a voltage sag.

This design enables AI UPS™ to handle the hardest part of the new rule, a deep voltage drop, where other designs fall short. ON.energy's design is protected under U.S. Patent 12,614,920, with a priority date of September 2, 2022.

Ricardo de AzevedoRicardo de AzevedoCo-Founder and CTO, ON.energy
"NOGRR 282 is achievable. We deployed at NLR specifically to run these tests under real-world conditions that match what AI data centers face at interconnection. The validated results are definitive: AI UPS™ rides through a complete zero-voltage event while keeping load voltage stable, and handles ±70% GPU transients without registering on the grid."

Solving ride-through

AI UPS™ does more than meet the rule.

The same system can also earn revenue through peak shaving, demand response, energy arbitrage, and potential participation in ERCOT's ancillary services markets. Full test data, including charts, ride-through curves, and a cost comparison, is available on the AI UPS solution page.