The Beacon Point site spans 525 acres and could employ 1,000 construction workers by early next year.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — But as construction moves forward, questions remain about how the project will affect nearby residents and what it could mean for the future of data centers in South Texas.
The 525-acre Beacon Point AI data center project, located off State Highway 1694, is expected to cost between $17 billion and $20 billion. The project is expected to create nearly 2,000 construction jobs and about 230 permanent positions once the facility is operating around the clock.
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Collier Pruner, Beacon Point Hut 8 Senior Director for Project Management, said the facility will not use local water for its operations beyond limited municipal water for basic needs.
“For water the only water we will require is some Municipal water for toilet toilets, sinks, similar use cases as one would have in their residential home or apartment,” Pruner said.
Pruner said the company is also addressing concerns about electricity, lighting and noise as it works with people who live closest to the project.
The company is working with nearby residents to determine how best to limit the facility’s visual impact, including considering sound walls, vegetation or a combination of both.
“We are working with the community members who are closest to the data center on figuring out what they visually want to see and showing them the data to make sure whether it’s a sound wall or vegetation mix of both,” Pruner said.
Nueces County Commissioner John Marez said the project could provide a financial benefit to local taxpayers, potentially helping the county maintain or reduce tax rates.
“That will hopefully keep tax rates at the level they are and potentially even reduce them so that’s a positive,” Marez said. “I’m trying to look at the positive. I know that there’s still a lot of concern and rightfully so I mean this is still kind of new technology.”
While the project moves forward in the county, Corpus Christi officials are also working to establish guidelines for future data center development within city limits.
Yvette Wallace, Director of Development Services for the City of Corpus Christi, said staff members are developing a proposed ordinance for City Council consideration that would help determine where data centers could be located.
“That’s something that we are working on. Developing where these should go and we’re working right now in Development Services to put together an ordinance for Council consideration,” Wallace said.
Construction is already underway at the Beacon Point site, where about 200 workers are currently employed. That number is expected to grow to 1,000 by early next year as construction begins on the buildings themselves.
The project is expected to bring a major economic investment to Nueces County, while discussions continue over how large-scale artificial intelligence infrastructure could affect surrounding communities and future development across South Texas.