Fluidstack ‘reserving’ 1.5GW for data center; expansion considered

H ARLINGEN — A developer building a 1,100-acre data center campus on the city’s outskirts has “reserved” 1.5GW of power for the project’s $4 billion first phase.

While Fluidstack’s reserved the amount from AEP-Texas, the company “could use less” power to operate the data center.

As part of the project, Fluidstack is planning to buy its power from AEP to fuel what will become the first data center to open in Cameron County.

“Our operations are structured so that our electricity needs do not raise residential bills and we are developing on-site generation to reduce our demand on the ERCOT grid,” the company said on a website outlining its Cameron County project.

During the project’s construction phase, Fluidstack is planning to create more than 2,500 construction jobs while the company’s estimating it will hire “several hundred” full-time employees to run the data center.

Now, Fluidstack is launching construction in the area of Gomez Road and FM 1596, about 4 miles southwest of Rio Hondo in Harlingen’s northeastern outskirts.

“Fluidstack’s Cameron County project will establish a new standard for data center development,” a company website states. “We will protect residents from any costs, invest in the local community and work as good neighbors.”

Since May, the company has met with Harlingen officials regarding the project, officials said.

Last month, in a presentation before Harlingen city commissioners, Fluidstack outlined its plans to use a “closed-loop cooling” system aimed at recycling water within its data center’s buildings, initially using 400,000 gallons.

“This means the data center will not keep using the community’s water,” the website states. “The tanks are filled once and use that same water indefinably. Once filled, water circulates and does not need to be refilled. We will not keep taking water from local supplies for cooling.”

Meanwhile, the company is hooking up to the East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corporation for a water supply including up to 50,000-gallon allocations.

In a May 21 presentation before the Rio Hondo Municipal Development District, Fluidstack unveiled plans that included a potential expansion, documents show.

“In May, Fluidstack representatives briefed public officials about possible development locations in Cameron County,” Kate Franko, Fluidstack’s head of public affairs, said in a statement. “We continue to consider the possibility of future investments in Cameron County, but at this point, we are focused on completing our permitted data center campus and demonstrating our commitment to being a good neighbor to this community.”

While Cameron County officials declined comment, Rio Hondo Mayor Gus Olivares did not respond to calls and messages requesting comment.

After completing its $4 billion first phase between Harlingen and Rio Hondo, Fluidstack has considered a second project near Rio Hondo while including a timeline showing construction starting around 2030 while completing in 2033, the company’s Rio Hondo presentation shows.

While Fluidstack’s reserved 1.5GW of power to launch its first phase, the company has considered an expansion that could include an “incremental 5.85GW” between 2029 to 2033, the documents show.

Meanwhile, the company has considered a construction project that could lie about a half-mile from the “nearest” homes, while located “behind the tree line for almost all residents,” the document states, adding the company “can plant trees or beautify the site following local consultation.”

Under a construction phase, Fluidstack has considered an expansion limiting noise levels to 65 decibels “at the boundary, similar to the noise level of a running dishwasher,” while “avoiding loud activities early morning and evening,” the documents state.

Following a construction phase, the company has considered the use of “minimal generators outside, reducing noise,” with “loud equipment distanced from the property boundary,” documents show.

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