Texas Data Center Intel

Recent Texas data center news

• May 12, 2026

  Ford launches ‘Ford Energy’ battery energy storage subsidiary

  Ford Motor Co. has launched a wholly owned subsidiary, Ford Energy, to manufacture stationary battery energy storage systems in the U.S.

  • Main announcement: Ford Energy will manufacture battery energy storage systems at the repurposed Glendale, Kentucky plant, aims to deploy a minimum of 20 GWh annually, with first customer deliveries slated for late 2027, and Ford plans to invest roughly $2 billion over the next two years to set up Ford Energy and hire roughly 2,100 workers.
  • Background and details: The move follows dissolution of the BlueOval SK joint venture with SK On (originally part of an $11.4 billion 2021 plan to build three U.S. battery plants); Ford will produce 5-megawatt-hour advanced storage systems (product: Ford Energy DC block) built around 512 Ah LFP prismatic cells in FE-250 (2-hour) and FE-450 (4-hour) configurations, each designed for 20-year service life; the article also notes contemporaneous industry deals such as a $4.3 billion Tesla–LG supply agreement (cells production targeted to start in 2027) and a Rivian–Redwood 10 MWh second-life deployment.
• May 12, 2026

  Organized Opposition Collides with AI Data Center Growth

  Data Center Opposition has launched a platform to track and connect local anti-data-center groups and provide an open, monthly-updated dataset.

  • Launch details and scope: The site Data Center Opposition (launched by a coalition of community groups and advocacy organizations) publishes an open dataset that tracks 268 local opposition groups across 37 states with roughly 360,000 followers, and the dataset is updated monthly to help communities connect and organize.
  • Background, purpose and limits: The dataset is designed as coordination infrastructure (not a definitive outcomes tracker), compiles entries primarily via Facebook, websites, fundraising pages, media and outreach, and has known limitations including under-counting offline mobilization and not tracking whether opposition changed project outcomes; the article also cites concrete project impacts — e.g., the Prince William County Digital Gateway (a proposed 37-building campus) had approvals voided in 2025, county officials withdrew from litigation, and one developer exited the project.
• May 12, 2026

  DataBank to Deploy Largest Rooftop Solar Array in Houston Metro Area

  DataBank announced plans to install a 3,150 kW rooftop solar array at its HOU3 data center in Houston, Texas.

  • Project details: The installation is a 3,150 kW rooftop solar array expected to generate ~4.5 million kWh annually over an expected 25-year operational life, with a levelized cost of energy matching current utility rates to act as a day-one energy hedge and reduce reliance on external renewable energy certificates (RECs). Wunder Power will manage design, construction, monitoring, and maintenance throughout the system’s operational life.
  • Context and deployment: The HOU3 site was selected for its large, recently constructed roof, favorable regulatory environment, and high electricity offset potential; the project is described as the largest rooftop solar installation to date in the Houston metropolitan area, and DataBank is evaluating additional deployments across its 70+ data center portfolio as part of its commitment to net zero emissions and 100% carbon-free power by 2030.
• May 12, 2026

  Google Signs 500 MW Solar Deal to Power Texas Data Centers

  Google has announced a new 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Linea Energy for 500 MW from a new solar project in Texas to support its data center operations.

  • Main announcement: Google signed a 15-year PPA with Linea Energy to purchase 500 MW from Linea’s Duffy Solar Project in Texas; the project will cover 3,526 acres, is co-located with a 235 MWac Duffy BESS, and construction begins Q3 2026.
  • Background and additional details: The power will supply Google’s data centers in the ERCOT market; Google has signed more than 170 agreements for over 23 GW of clean energy since 2010 and recently executed other large PPAs including 1 GW with TotalEnergies and 1.2 GW with Clearway (earlier in the year).
• May 11, 2026

  US Nuclear Company Fermi Wins Support Of Major Shareholder After Executive Departures

  Caddis Capital has expressed support for Fermi Inc’s board and management and backed recent leadership changes.

  • Caddis Capital backed the board’s actions including the removal of Toby Neugebauer as CEO and the resignation of Miles Everson as CFO; Caddis owns approximately 9.3% of Fermi’s outstanding common shares, opposes a hasty sale, and said it is confident in the company’s long-term prospects (Fermi stock is down 84% over the past year and trading at $5.23, down from a 52-week high of $36.99).
  • Fermi is developing Project Matador, an AI campus at Texas Tech University near Amarillo, Texas, planning a “hypergrid” using Westinghouse AP1000 reactors to directly power onsite data centres with first power targeted by the end of 2026; the company framed recent changes and a Dallas corporate HQ as part of a “Fermi 2.0” strategic evolution (company launched June 2025; board includes Rick Perry).
• May 11, 2026

  Energy Vault reaffirms 2026 guidance, sets sights on AI infrastructure PPA deals

  Energy Vault has released Q1 2026 financial results and announced a strategic shift from an EPC model to operating as an IPP with a targeted data centre/AI infrastructure PPA strategy.

  • Main announcement: Energy Vault reported Q1 2026 revenue of US$21.9 million and net loss of US$32.5 million, and presented a strategic repositioning from EPC to IPP with an accelerated data centre infrastructure play (targeting PPAs with data centres and hyperscalers) and continued geographic expansion in Australia, Japan, and Europe.
  • Background and deal details: The company reaffirmed full-year 2026 revenue guidance of US$225–300 million; noted Asset Vault projects began operations mid-2025 (removing related depreciation/amortisation from adjusted gross profit); announced an April binding agreement to buy an 850MW BESS pipeline from an undisclosed Japanese developer (350MW expected to reach Notice to Proceed in H2 2027 and commence commercial operations in H2 2028, remaining 500MW in early development); acquired the 175MW/350MWh McMurtre Texas project from Belltown Power (expected to reach ready-to-build in Q4 2026); and supplied BESS technology for a 320MWh Australia project scheduled for completion later in 2026.
• May 8, 2026 · RMI

  Solving the Gridlock: America’s Electric Supply Chain Opportunity

  RMI (authors Ellie Garland and Ben Feshbach) publish policy recommendations for federal policymakers to strengthen the US grid supply chain and deploy newly available authorities and funding.

  • Main announcement / action: RMI recommends DOE and Congress use newly available tools — including $375 million appropriated to DOE’s Office of Electricity (Jan 2026) and a Defense Production Act (DPA) determination (Apr 2026) — to boost domestic grid manufacturing capacity, coordination, and competitiveness; the brief cites recent private investments such as Hitachi Energy’s $1 billion factory in Virginia and Siemens Energy’s target to add US transformer capacity by 2027.
  • Background and concrete details: The paper documents current supply constraints: domestic production met only 20% of US LPT demand in 2025, US grid equipment imports exceeded $30 billion in 2024, transformer prices have risen ~75% and cable costs have doubled since 2019; recommended interventions include near-term bottle‑neck relief, tax and loan incentives, DPA/anchor-buying strategies, workforce initiatives, and RD&D pilot programs.
• May 8, 2026

  Interconnection Delays Push Texas Data Center Behind the Meter

  BaRupOn acquired roughly 700 acres in Liberty County, Texas, then pivoted from planned chemical manufacturing to behind-the-meter energy generation and AI/data center infrastructure after discovering substantial grid interconnection costs and delayed utility availability.

  • Main action: BaRupOn shifted its Liberty County project from a ~25 MW methacrylate chemical manufacturing facility to an on-site power and AI infrastructure campus after identifying ~$35 million in grid interconnection costs and that substantial utility power would not be available until 2029; the company has permits for ~60 MW of on-site generation, signed gas supply agreements with Kinder Morgan, and is constructing a 200,000-square-foot data center on the site.
  • Background & other details: BaRupOn completed a feasibility study with NANO Nuclear Energy to explore advanced microreactors (conceptual, likely years away); it plans to scale long-term power toward >1 GW using additional gas, solar, and potential nuclear capacity, and executives note hyperscalers are now reconsidering behind-the-meter deployments as interconnection delays and upgrade costs rise.
• May 8, 2026

  From Capacity to Chaos: How AI Data Centers Challenge the Grid

  Utilities and grid analysts warn that AI-scale data centers are creating new grid stability risks.

  • Main announcement/action:Dozens of data centers in Northern Virginia dropped off the grid in 2024 removing roughly 1,500 MW of load (reported by Reuters); the EIA projects ~2% annual electricity demand growth through 2027 largely driven by data centers, and regions such as PJM and ERCOT report sharp rises in peak demand and large-load interconnection requests. Utilities and analysts (Prithpal Khajuria of Intel and Ron Westfall of HyperFrame Research) say this event highlights that large loads can change in seconds, creating stability and protection coordination challenges.
  • Background and details:Utilities are lengthening interconnection evaluations as modeling must now capture ramp rates, operating modes, UPS/battery interactions, and fault behavior; efforts cited include modernizing substation architecture and improving real-time visibility. The article reports that many data-center developers still treat power as a procurement problem rather than an engineering-system problem, and that protection schemes rely on stable load assumptions which may no longer hold.
• May 7, 2026

  Texas Lawmakers Back Effort To Lift Camp Fiber Requirement

  Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows supported removing the state requirement that youth camps maintain end-to-end fiber internet to operate this summer.

  • Main action: The two leaders issued a joint statement supporting repeal or removal of the regulation that requires camps to maintain “end-to-end fiber optic facilities” and a second, distinct broadband connection so camps can continue operating this summer; lawmakers plan to revisit camp safety standards during the 2027 legislative session.
  • Background/details: The move follows a lawsuit filed by 19 Texas summer camps arguing the rule is too expensive, technologically unclear, and in some cases impossible to meet; the provision was enacted in the 2025 special legislative session after the July 2025 Camp Mystic flood. The filing cites vendor quotes of roughly $1 million upfront plus monthly fees for Camp Liberty and over $1.2 million for Camp Longhorn. The Texas Department of State Health Services previously declined to remove the requirement during rulemaking, saying the provisions are mandated by state law.