Hillsboro data center forum addresses community impact concerns

The annual Hill County Summit, hosted by Hillsboro GO, focused on data centers, bringing together experts from ERCOT, the State Economic Development and Tourism Office, and BVRT Utility Company to discuss their potential community impact. Larry McManus, director for business and community development for the Governor’s Office, highlighted data centers as significant investments that can boost a community's tax base and create well-paying jobs. A key concern addressed was the large energy consumption of data centers and its potential effect on electricity bills. Eric Meier from ERCOT explained that the Public Utility Commission requires large energy users, including data centers, to cover the costs of new infrastructure like substations and power lines, preventing these expenses from being passed to residential consumers. Water usage for cooling was another major topic. John Littlefield, president of BVRT Utility Company, outlined various cooling methods and their associated issues, such as high energy use or excessive fresh water demand. He proposed using treated household wastewater, or gray water, for data center cooling as a sustainable solution, noting that many Texas cities currently discharge treated wastewater into natural waterways.