Rowan agrees to new data center audits in Texas
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has mandated new audits for data center projects, requiring them to provide details on water use, electricity infrastructure costs, and financial assistance before connecting to the grid. Rowan Digital Infrastructure, a developer in Temple, has expressed support for the new oversight. Projects failing to meet state and ERCOT requirements will be denied grid connection.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and the Public Utility Commission to conduct mandatory audits of all data center projects before they can advance through the grid's interconnection process. The directive aims to address concerns from Central Texas communities regarding power infrastructure costs, water usage, and the overall impact of these facilities on surrounding areas. The audits will specifically require data center developers to disclose projected water use, the source of that water, cooling methods, and information on any tax incentives or public financial assistance received.
Rowan Digital Infrastructure, the company developing the Temple Data Center, has publicly welcomed the new oversight. A Rowan CEO stated that the company is prepared for the review and sees the statewide standards as providing clear expectations. The company also noted that it has already disclosed expected electricity and water use. Governor Abbott emphasized that any data center project that fails to meet state and ERCOT requirements after an audit will be denied connection to the Texas grid. This move comes as ERCOT is considering over 474 gigawatts of connection requests, with data centers accounting for approximately 90% of this new demand.