City officials evaluating what statewide data center audit means for Fort Worth projects
Fort Worth officials have paused discussions on city-level data center regulations and a potential moratorium. This decision follows Governor Greg Abbott's order for a statewide audit of supercomputer hubs, which will impact local projects' ability to connect to the power grid. City staff are evaluating how the state's new requirements affect proposed and approved data centers in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth city officials have temporarily halted their plans to provide an update to the city council on data center regulations and a possible local moratorium. This pause comes in response to an order from Governor Greg Abbott, who has directed state regulators to conduct a comprehensive audit of supercomputer hubs based on various criteria before they can proceed with development.
Assistant City Manager Jesica McEachern informed the city council on Tuesday that staff are "taking a step back" to assess how Governor Abbott's directive will influence Fort Worth and its proposed data center projects. A significant concern highlighted by McEachern is the uncertainty surrounding the timeline for projects if they cannot secure approval to connect to the state's power grid, a key aspect of the governor's new audit requirements.
Prior to this development, council members were slated to receive a presentation from McEachern detailing data center regulations and the procedural steps for implementing a city-wide moratorium. City staff are now actively gathering additional information to understand precisely how this statewide audit and potential pause will apply to data center projects that have already received local approval, as well as those currently under consideration.