Study warns Texas data center boom could reverse decades of air quality gains
A Houston Advanced Research Center study warns that Texas' data center expansion could reverse air-quality gains if facilities rely on emissions-intensive power sources. Bastrop County residents are criticizing construction impacts from an EdgeConneX campus and seeking a public meeting about a Pacifico Energy natural-gas plant intended to power another data center.
A Houston Advanced Research Center study found that Texas data center growth could significantly increase nitrogen oxide and other criteria-pollutant emissions, depending on how facilities are powered. The study modeled scenarios ranging from continued reliance on traditional generation to cleaner combinations of grid power, solar and wind. HARC vice president and study co-author Carlos Gamarra said emissions could return to levels last seen in the 2000s under the current electricity mix.
The report has drawn attention in Bastrop County, where resident Jay Mirabito blamed construction of an EdgeConneX data center campus for noise, dust and declining property values. Residents also asked the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to hold a meeting about Pacifico Energy's proposed natural-gas plant, which would supply power to a nearby data center. TCEQ said it would halt permitting for data center developments in accordance with an order from Gov. Greg Abbott. Big Watt + Powerhouse, whose Taylor facility is among the projects discussed, said its technology would neutralize up to 90% or more of nitrogen oxide emissions.