What to know about Amazon's $10 billion data center outside of Houston
Amazon is developing a $10 billion, nearly 3,000-acre data center campus in Boling, Wharton County, Texas. The project is currently undergoing various regulatory approvals, including for electricity connection and water usage, with initial site preparation permits already secured. Concerns about the facility's electricity and water demands are being addressed by Amazon and state entities.
Amazon is constructing a massive $10 billion data center campus, codenamed "Project Eagle," in Boling, Wharton County, Texas, roughly an hour southwest of Houston. The sprawling 3,000-acre site will host at least 10 data center buildings, each comparable in size to a Walmart Supercenter, as part of Amazon Web Services' expansion, likely to support cloud computing and artificial intelligence operations.
The project faces several regulatory hurdles despite having a conditional development permit for site preparations. Amazon is requesting connection to the grid, triggering a new evaluation process by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) for projects consuming over 75 megawatts. While the company has not disclosed specific electricity needs, it has committed to paying for infrastructure upgrades, curtailing load during emergencies, and protecting ratepayers from cost increases.
Water usage is also a key consideration. Initially planning for air cooling, Amazon is now considering surface water, estimating an annual use of about 500 acre-feet (163 million gallons) from the Lower Colorado River Authority. The company has pledged to avoid groundwater for cooling, use water-efficient technologies, and fund a water replenishment project with Kilimo Inc. to reduce irrigation use by local rice farmers. Air quality permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality are still pending. The facility is expected to create at least 150 full-time jobs by mid-2027, with thousands more during construction.