Texas Data Center Intel

Recent Texas data center news

• Feb 25, 2026

  Federal and State Policymakers Target AI Data Centers as Electricity Costs and Grid Reliability Concerns Mount

  The Trump administration is expected to call on major U.S. technology companies and data center developers to voluntarily commit to a compact to ensure power-needy data centers do not raise household electricity prices or undermine grid reliability.

  • Main announcement: The draft compact would ask participating companies to pay 100% of new power generation costs, fund transmission upgrades, enter long-term electricity contracts, use noncritical backup generation for grid stability, and allow curtailment of data center loads; the pact would also apply to leased/colocated capacity, meaning companies leasing space could not avoid commitments.
  • Background and additional details:More than 40 states have enacted or are considering data center laws; examples include Texas SB 6 (large load framework; 75 MW threshold; PUC may lower threshold and may order emergency load reductions), Oregon POWER Act / H.B. 3546 (requires large users of 20 MW+ to buy from state-regulated utilities for 10 years and pay for needed infrastructure), and the proposed federal GRID Act (would require new data centers with 20 MW+ demand to obtain power off-grid with a 10-year off-ramp). Troutman Pepper Locke is hosting a three-part webinar series on these dynamics in 2026 (dates/times not specified in the article).
• Feb 25, 2026

  Is America’s data center boom slowing down?

  Bloomberg reports U.S. data center construction slowed in 2025.

  • Capacity under construction fell to 5.99 gigawatts at year-end 2025 (down from 6.35 gigawatts in 2024), per CBRE; vacancy rates in primary markets hit a record low 1.4%.
  • Developers face permitting, zoning approvals and securing sufficient power delays; development is shifting to markets with more available land (including Louisiana and Texas); some states are reconsidering incentives as power costs rise; this is a Bloomberg news report citing CBRE data rather than a first-time government or corporate policy announcement.
• Feb 25, 2026

  No end in sight for data center development in SoCal

  Commercial Observer (citing JLL research) reports that Southern California data center capacity is expected to nearly double in the next few years to meet AI-driven demand.

  • Main announcement: JLL-backed reporting indicates SoCal’s existing data center capacity of 335 megawatts is expected to nearly double as new facilities come online to serve AI workloads; developers are deliberately sizing projects under regulatory thresholds (just under 50 MW or 100 MW) to avoid California Energy Commission oversight. Key concrete examples: Goodman Group is planning a 49.5-megawatt facility named LAX01 in Vernon.
  • Background and regulatory details: Under California law, backup generators for data centers are treated as thermal power plants so projects >50 MW fall under the California Energy Commission for full certification; projects 50–100 MW can seek a Small Power Plant Exemption but may face environmental review and formal hearings if denied. State Sen. Steve Padilla has proposed Senate Bill 58, offering partial sales and use tax exemptions for data center projects that incorporate sustainable energy practices. The article also notes California’s average electricity cost of ~$0.18 per kWh compared with ~$0.10 per kWh in the Pacific Northwest.
• Feb 25, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - February 24, 2026

  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) released a newsletter highlighting data center impacts, policy developments on Capitol Hill, and upcoming briefings and events.

  • Main announcement: EESI highlighted rising household energy costs driven in part by data center demand, noting electricity prices have risen by up to 267% since 2020 in high-concentration data center areas and that wildfires cost the United States up to $424 billion annually. The newsletter features the article “Data Center Power Demands Are Contributing to Higher Energy Bills,” a podcast on wildfire philanthropy, and announces briefings including “Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability” on Thursday, February 26 (3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online).

  • Background and other details: The newsletter summaries recent legislative actions and events: Senate Energy Committee advanced the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025 (S.714); House Committee approved the ACERO Act (H.R.390) to authorize NASA’s ACERO project; Senate Foreign Relations agreed to the Protecting Global Fisheries Act of 2026 (S.1369); House introduced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R.7567). Events listed with dates/times/locations:

    • Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability — Feb 26, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online
    • Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy — Mar 3, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Russell Senate Office Building, Room 385 and online (Reception to follow)
    • Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses — Mar 12, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online
    • 2026 Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum (EXPO 2026) — Jun 24, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building Foyer and Gold Room and online
• Feb 25, 2026

  US Roundup: FlexGen updates EMS, LandGate’s BESS site selection tool, ON.Energy-Shoals target data centres, Sunrun’s season of VPP dispatching

  Energy-Storage.news reports a roundup of recent industry announcements from FlexGen, LandGate, ON.energy & Shoals, and Sunrun.

  • FlexGen announced an updated HybridOS EMS with a new user interface, real-time and historical data, integrated market prices, mobile app access, an augmentation prediction and diagnostics dashboard, charge limit handler, and native CAN support; LandGate launched its Battery Storage Analysis tool to produce automated ‘Battery Storage Due Diligence Reports’ and assess interconnection, arbitrage, queue competition and environmental risks; ON.energy and Shoals agreed to deploy multiple GWs of critical power systems pairing ON.energy’s medium-voltage AI UPS with Shoals’ DC Recombiner; Sunrun completed a VPP dispatch season with PG&E totaling more than 1,200 dispatch hours across over 1,000 customers, with participants earning US$150 per battery.

  • Background and supporting details: FlexGen completed its acquisition of most assets and IP from Powin in August 2025 and supports over 25GWh of BESS across 10 countries; FlexGen recently put two utility-scale BESS totalling 700MWh into operation in Wisconsin and Iowa; ON.energy previously announced a 5GW transformer supply agreement with Prolec GE (late 2025); Sunrun’s Local PeakShift Power VPP operated as part of PG&E’s SAVE program (tests April–June 2025; dispatched July–October 2025); the article also references interconnection reform discussions and noise/permitting issues for BESS projects (Idaho Power case, Wärtsilä commentary).

• Feb 25, 2026

  How Data Centers Are Adapting to Extreme Weather

  Data center industry analysis warns operators to intensify climate resilience planning.

  • Main announcement/action: Industry analysis and expert commentary (S&P Global, World Economic Forum scenarios; Uptime Institute research) highlight rising climate-driven risks to data centers, projecting annual climate-driven costs up to 9.5% of total data center asset value by 2055, with extreme heat responsible for roughly two-thirds of that impact; operators are implementing site selection, hardened construction, hybrid air-and-liquid cooling, closed-loop water systems, and on-site generation use (e.g., generator switchovers during Winter Storm Fern) to manage risk.
  • Background and details: The article documents recent events and regional responses: ERCOT warnings after July 2025 Texas flooding, a DOE emergency order during Winter Storm Fern (start of 2026) authorizing curtailment and encouraging on-site generation, and Brazil market growth projections from Mordor Intelligence ($2.95 billion in 2025 → $3.38 billion in 2026 → $6.67 billion by 2031) alongside Microsoft’s prior ~$2.7 billion pledge to Brazil cloud/AI infrastructure; operators like ValorC3 and Tecto are emphasizing elevated pads, reinforced concrete, seismic criteria, corrosion-resistant materials, and burying fiber as concrete resilience measures.
• Feb 24, 2026

  Dallas-Based WATTER Named a BloombergNEF Pioneers Finalist

  WATTER, a Dallas startup, has been named a 2026 BloombergNEF (BNEF) Pioneers finalist in the “Technologies for Sustainable, Scalable Data Center Infrastructure” category.

  • Main announcement: WATTER was selected as one of 29 Pioneers finalists (from over 600 applications) by BloombergNEF; winners will be announced in mid-April. The nomination cites WATTER’s approach to use wasted compute heat to heat water for homes and businesses and reduce grid demand.
  • Background and details: WATTER emerged from stealth with $5 million in seed funding last March as a spinout of Hunt Innovative Technologies (a subsidiary of Hunt Energy). BNEF framed the category around data center pressures from the surge in AI-driven demand, noting data centers could consume 1,600 terawatt-hours by 2035 and seeking technologies that improve cooling, power efficiency, and grid responsiveness.
• Feb 24, 2026

  Roundup: FedEx’s tariff lawsuit / Meta’s megadeal / Data centers

  FedEx has filed suit against the U.S. government seeking a full refund for tariffs set last year by President Donald Trump after the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs illegal.

  • Main action: FedEx filed a claim with the U.S. Court of International Trade seeking a full refund of tariffs it paid; the company said it has “suffered injury” from paying the tariffs and is seeking relief that would redress those injuries.
  • Background and related items: Other large U.S. corporations including Costco and Revlon have launched efforts to recoup costs from the same Supreme Court‑ruled illegal tariffs; separately, Meta Platforms Inc. will deploy 6 gigawatts of data‑center gear using AMD processors over a five‑year period beginning in the second half of 2026, with the transactions described as worth “double‑digit billions” of dollars per gigawatt, and JLL reports data‑center demand is at an “inflection point” with Texas poised to surpass Virginia and vacancy rates near 1%.
• Feb 24, 2026

  Soluna CEO on Stranded Renewables, AI Data Centers, and a 'Grid Revolution'

  Soluna Holdings is expanding its co-located renewable-powered data center model from bitcoin mining into AI, announcing a multi-site buildout including Project Kati and Project Dorothy and a 3-gigawatt project pipeline.

  • Main announcement/action: Soluna is transitioning from bitcoin-focused facilities to AI/high-performance computing campuses co-located with utility-scale wind and solar plants; key project details include a 3-gigawatt pipeline, Project Kati (166 MW planned over two phases; Kati 1 initial energization with phased commissioning through 2026; 83 MW bitcoin side; starting with 100 MW AI capacity and planned scale to >300 MW), and Project Dorothy (operational, providing 98 MW for Bitcoin hosting at two Texas sites; expanded partnership with Blockware adding 6 MW to Dorothy 1).
  • Background and implementation details: The model monetizes curtailed/stranded renewable generation by buying excess power from host plants, Soluna claims its builds are 18% cleaner than traditional data centers, targets single-tenant hyperscalers and neo-clouds on long-term contracts, and prioritizes AI training workloads (batchable, remote) rather than low-latency inference; utilities and transmission constraints (e.g., California 3.4 TWh curtailed cited) are central to the rationale.
• Feb 24, 2026 · Google

  We’re expanding our Texas presence with a new data center and clean energy in Wilbarger County.

  Google is announcing a new data center under construction in Wilbarger County, Texas, paired with agreements to support local energy resilience and water security.

  • Main announcement: Google will build a new data center in Wilbarger County that will be co-located with or built alongside new clean power developed by AES, using advanced air-cooling technology to limit water use to only critical campus operations (e.g., kitchens). The project is presented as part of Google’s expanded Texas presence announced Feb 24, 2026.
  • Background and details: Google has contracted to add more than 7,800 MW of net-new energy generation/capacity to the Texas electricity grid and previously announced a $30 million Energy Impact Fund (announced in November) to support energy affordability, weatherization, energy efficiency and workforce development; a related Google announcement referenced a $40 billion investment in Texas through 2027.