Texas Pauses New Data Centers: Map of States Where Projects Are Booming
Summary
Texas has temporarily stopped approving new data centers until state officials complete a detailed review of all current projects seeking to connect to the state's electric grid. This pause comes amid rapid growth in data center construction driven by artificial intelligence needs and concerns about energy use and community impacts.Key Facts
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed agencies to audit all data center projects before allowing new ones to connect to the electric grid.
- About 90% of pending requests to connect to Texas’ grid are from data center projects, linked to AI computing growth.
- Pending requests total about 474 gigawatts, more than five times the state's current peak electricity demand.
- The review will examine electricity use, water consumption, ownership, tax incentives, and efforts to reduce noise and light pollution.
- Texas currently has the second most data centers in the U.S., after Virginia, with 296 operating facilities.
- Nationwide, more than 3,000 data centers operate, and over 1,500 more are planned, mostly in southern and midwestern states.
- The trend shows many new data centers are planned in rural areas, unlike existing ones that are mainly in cities.
- Other states, like New York, have also paused some large-scale data center projects recently due to similar concerns.
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