Another data center announced for Taylor vicinity

The City of Taylor, Texas, has announced plans for "Project Mustang," a new 685-acre data center development in its extraterritorial jurisdiction, a cooperative venture between developers Powerhouse and Big Watt. The development agreement includes annexing the property into city limits, requiring the project to exceed county and state environmental standards related to noise, buffers, air quality, light pollution, stormwater drainage, and water use. City officials anticipate millions in grants and scholarships from the project, with Daniel Seguin, executive director of community services, noting the developers have not received financial incentives.

However, the announcement has drawn criticism from the grass-roots Halt Taylor Data Center Coalition. Carrie D'Anna, representing the coalition, expressed disappointment, stating that the city's actions disregard public sentiment and that annexation without adequate digital infrastructure zoning burdens residents rather than provides control. The coalition recently filed a legal action with the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin to compel the Taylor City Council to allow a public vote on data center zoning regulations on November 3, following a petition with 1,400 signatures that the council rejected, citing state law.

In a related development, Governor Greg Abbott issued new directives for state agencies to conduct comprehensive audits of all data centers in ERCOT's interconnection process before they can connect to the Texas power grid, aiming to protect the grid and prevent taxpayer subsidies for infrastructure upgrades. Project Mustang is designed to generate all its own power on-site, with potential to sell excess electricity back to the grid. Future opportunities for public comment are scheduled for the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on August 18 and the City Council meeting on September 10.