The announcements follow Abbott\u2019s order for state regulators to pause approvals\u00a0<\/a>for new data center connections to the Texas power grid while they evaluate the industry\u2019s effects on the power supply, water resources and nearby communities.<\/p>\n
Gov. Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to conduct \u201ca comprehensive verification and audit\u201d of all data center applicants \u201cbefore any additional data centers are approved to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Austin-based Oracle said it supports<\/a> Gov. Abbott\u2019s efforts \u201cto ensure data centers are built responsibly and deliver real benefits for the places they call home.\u201d Dallas-based Stream Data Centers<\/a> also expressed support for “additional utility audits and greater regulatory oversight on grid usage.”<\/p>\n EdgeConnex is developing three data center<\/a> campuses on about 1,400 acres along FM 535 in Bastrop County, where construction is underway. The company said it supports Abbott\u2019s efforts<\/a> to “advance greater transparency, infrastructure planning, and local community safeguards around data center development across the state.”\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI established clear guardrails to ensure data centers protect our electric grid, conserve our water, respect our neighborhoods, and pay their own way,\u201d Gov. Abbott said in a statement. “They must not pass costs on to Texas families or interfere with their quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n Some critics, such as Environment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger, say that Gov. Abbott’s guidelines don’t go far enough. Metzger wrote in a press release on August 3 that “The next steps are setting real limits on water use, noise pollution, and ending tax breaks that ask Texans to subsidize harm to our environment.”<\/p>\n
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