Here’s where Fort Worth’s data centers are — and where developers look to build others
Fort Worth is experiencing a data center development boom, leading to concerns from residents about resource consumption, particularly water and electricity. City officials are exploring new regulations, and some City Council members are advocating for a temporary pause on developments. Several proposed data center projects are facing delays or scrutiny from the city.
Fort Worth is experiencing a significant boom in data center developments, a trend that has prompted concerns among Tarrant County residents regarding resource allocation, including water and electricity, and overall quality of life. In response, some Fort Worth City Council members are calling for a temporary moratorium on new developments to allow for further research and the exploration of new regulations.
The city currently hosts four operational data centers. These include the Meta Fort Worth Data Center, a 2.5-million-square-foot campus that broke ground in 2015, as well as facilities operated by QTS and TierPoint in far north Fort Worth. Additionally, Csquare operates a data center in far east Fort Worth, which has been active since 1999 and can draw up to 52 megawatts of electricity.
Several new data center projects are either proposed or in various stages of development. CyrusOne announced plans for a Fort Worth data center, partnering with energy company Eolian to utilize existing high-voltage infrastructure. ACS also has plans for a large facility on 107 acres with its own private electrical substation, and WUSF 5 Rock Creek East purchased land for a multi-building data center campus in 2015.
However, some proposed projects face hurdles. Edged Data Centers rescinded a tax abatement agreement with the city after the City Council tabled a vote on the incentive. Energy conglomerate Black Mountain also hit a standstill; although its data center site plan was approved by zoning commissioners in April, the City Council requested more details and postponed items related to rezoning additional acreage until December. Two additional data centers are proposed in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, which would be serviced by Fort Worth's water utility but fall outside the city's direct zoning and taxing authority.