A Houston-based company is planning to construct a massive 50,000-acre data center hub near Laredo, Texas, dubbed "Data City, Texas."
The facility is set to become "the world’s largest behind-the-meter data center," powered entirely by 100 percent green energy around the clock, according to Energy Abundance Development Corp. The project will be developed in multiple phases, starting with 300 megawatts of power and 1 million square feet of data center space in 2026, eventually expanding to 5 gigawatts of power and over 15 million square feet of leasable space.
Initially, the data centers will run on natural gas produced in Texas, but the company plans to transition to 100 percent green hydrogen sourced from its hydrogen salt dome storage facility in the future. This move aims to address the challenge of securing reliable, low-cost power for large-scale data centers while reducing their environmental impact.
Brian Maxwell, the founder and CEO of Energy Abundance, emphasized that the project will solve one of the biggest challenges faced by hyperscalers—quickly securing massive amounts of affordable, clean power. In the same press release, the company also revealed it had changed its name from Green Hydrogen International Corp. to better reflect its mission.
"Data City solves hyperscalers' biggest hurdle: securing massive low-cost power quickly," Maxwell said in the statement. "Building behind-the-meter is the path to energy abundance—a cornerstone of this landmark project. It's an honor to lead a quintessentially American and Texas endeavor that will power the AI revolution and pave the way to an energy abundant future."
In addition to Data City, the company is also developing a large-scale green energy production and storage hub near Corpus Christi. This project will produce 280,000 tons of green hydrogen and one million tons of green ammonia annually, using a mix of wind and solar power. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with commercial operations expected to start in 2029.
Energy Abundance is one of several Texas companies looking to cash in on the evolving industry of powering data centers in ways that will not overwhelm electricity grids.
Technology developer Last Energy announced plans earlier this month to build 30 micro-nuclear reactors in Haskell County as demand from the state's data centers surged. The nuclear technology company said that it plans to break ground at a 200-acre site in Haskell, a town about 200 miles west of Dallas.
Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp that may soon become a Texas company, struck a deal this year to get its Lone Star State data centers powered. The agreement with Spanish-based renewable energy company Zelestra calls for four solar projects, totaling 595 megawatts (MW), to be constructed in Texas.
