O cials assess resources amid data center surge From the cover
The big picture
Skybox’s PowerCampus Austin in Hutto
Several data centers are in various stages of proposal and development in P ugerville, Hutto and Round Rock, including several by Skybox. One proposed Skybox site near Old Settlers and A.W. Grimes boulevards in Round Rock is drawing some attention from nearby residents. If a rezoning measure is approved, that data center would be the company’s third in the three cities. Dave Porter, executive director of the Williamson County Economic Development Partnership, said the I-35 technology corridor and proximity to companies such as Dell Technologies and Nvidia are powerful draws for technology companies. Porter said the area’s future may be that of an emerging “AI corridor.” “I think what is conducive is a pro-business environment, which Williamson County is,” Porter said. “We have lots of land available, and then you have the workforce to go with it. So those three components really are a win-win-win for Williamson County.”
6 buildings
200+ acres
60 MW electric load
up to 4M square feet of data center space
LIMMER LOOP
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PowerCampus Austin is a joint venture between Skybox Datacenters and Prologis in Hutto. SOURCE: SKYBOX DATACENTERS COMMUNITY IMPACT
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RENDERING COURTESY SKYBOX DATACENTERS
The discussion
In their words
How data center electric infrastructure works
Mark Noonan, senior vice president of the east for Sabey Data Centers, said Sabey has worked to be a transparent community partner. “There has been a lot in the news about some of these bigger projects that have tried to go in the dark of night, being very quiet about who it is, [using] project names and not engaging the community,” Noonan said. “We’re the opposite.” Noonan said Sabey didn’t receive much push- back when it entered Round Rock, not far from the proposed Skybox location. Haynes Strader, chief development o cer for Skybox, said the Round Rock facility is the compa- ny’s rst to receive signi cant opposition.
Some area residents have shared concerns about the location of data centers in their communities, particularly around water and electricity use. Representatives of Skybox and the regional power delivery company say the proposed development would not have the impacts to health, water and electric utilities residents have highlighted. The power delivery company is also in the process of making regional infrastructure improvements to strengthen the statewide power grid. This includes upgrades to a 138 kilovolt transmission line from Round Rock to Salado, including new foundations and a secondary circuit to add capacity and enhance reliability. Oncor is also one of several delivery companies working toward regional upgrades to 765 kV transmission lines throughout its service area. This is the highest voltage used in Texas. New legislation also requires large load cus- tomers such as data centers to contribute to the recovery of utility companies’ costs to connect them to the grid. Senate Bill 6, passed in the 89th Legislature, among other requirements, requires that electric customers of 75 megawatts or more pay a fee of at least $100,000 for initial trans- mission screening studies. Subsequent requests for more capacity require additional fees. The
Customer responsibility: Large industrial and data center customers frequently self-fund the construction and operation of their own substations. Cost: Oncor’s di erent rate classes are based on usage type and service voltage. Costs incurred by a speci c rate class stay in that group. SB 6: The Senate bill requires large energy users to fund grid upgrades and increases regulatory oversight.
SOURCE: ONCOR ELECTRIC DELIVERY COMMUNITY IMPACT
law also requires large load customers to switch to generator power in the event of an emergency at the direction of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. While some data centers across the country have used di erent cooling methods that require more water, Strader said the proposed Skybox center would use closed- loop cooling, which would ultimately require about 20,000 gallons of water to charge. Round Rock city sta said this is equiva- lent to the annual water usage of about 15 single-family homes. Hutto City Manager James Earp said there are a variety of cooling methods used by data centers, with some being more water inten- sive than others.
Noonan explained the role a data center like Sabey plays in generating local property tax revenue, as well as providing high-paying jobs.
Water usage: 2 million gallons annually
City property tax revenue generated: $800,000
Permanent jobs created: 35 to 40
Construction jobs created: 200
SOURCE: MARK NOONAN, CITY OF ROUND ROCK COMMUNITY IMPACT
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