Data center profile · Near Laredo, unincorporated Webb County, Texas (exact site not located)

Data City (Texas)

A claimed 5 GW, 50,000-acre, off-grid gas campus near Laredo from Energy Abundance Development, with no site, permit, tenant or financing on record 19 months after announcement

Announced only. Energy Abundance announced Data City on Mar. 20, 2025 and promised a 300 MW first phase in 2026. As of Oct. 2026, officials say no application is filed and no tenant, land control, permit or financing is on record.
5 GW
campus, developer figure
developer does not state IT capacity; first phase 300 MW and 1 million sq ft, claimed for 2026
50,000 acres
announced site
no purchase, option or lease found
$25B to $50B
phased project cost, local group's figure
a cost claim, not financing; no lender or investor found
300 MW
gas turbines listed by a tracker
announced only, planned start 2026
OperatorEnergy Abundance Development Corporation (developer; formerly Green Hydrogen International)
CustomerNone named; a local economic development group said in Jan. 2026 an initial customer was secured
Planned IT capacity4.0 GW at full build-out (our estimate from the company's 5 GW campus power figure). The developer states 5 GW of campus power and no IT figure, and no site has been located
First building in serviceOur estimate: 2029 or later (no dated power path yet).
Next stepNone published. The 2026 first-phase launch has no filings behind it, and the promised Q1 2026 project announcement appears never to have happened
Power

Power and the grid

None energized or contracted yet

On-site dual-fuel gas turbinesAnnounced only
300 MW
first unit listed as announced, planned for 2026; no turbine maker named and no air permit found Dataset · Oct. 2026
Proposed
Other sources, size not disclosed

Getting on the grid

Who supplies what, what it costs, and what is still not public.

  1. March 20, 2025
    Off-grid design announced
    The company says Data City would be fully separated from the Texas grid. Company · March 2025
  2. Aug. 3, 2026
    Texas grid audit ordered
    The governor orders an audit of data centers in the grid queue; an off-grid project sits outside that queue. News report · Oct. 2026
  3. Sept. 21, 2026
    State air-permit freeze
    The governor directs the state environmental agency to issue no data center permits until audits finish; Data City has no application to pause. News report · Oct. 2026
  4. Not set
    Gas and power contracts: none
    No gas supply contract, power purchase agreement or grid filing is on record. Company · Oct. 2026
Permits

Permits checklist

5 checked, nothing on file

Approvals a campus like this normally needs (including an air permit for backup or on-site generators), and what we found.

Risks

What could slow it down

Money

Money on record

$25B to $50B stated project cost (a local economic development group's figure for the phased project). Local government · Jan. 2026

Not on record: financing: no debt, equity round or lender in any source checked Local government · Oct. 2026; tax incentives: no county or city abatement located Local government · Oct. 2026

Timeline

What happened, and what is due

SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
  1. March 3, 2022
    Site The same company promises a 2026 start for its separate Hydrogen City project; no construction was found for it either Company · March 2022
  2. March 20, 2025
    Site Green Hydrogen International renames itself Energy Abundance and announces Data City: 5 GW, 50,000 acres, off-grid Company · March 2025
  3. 2026
    Site Laredo's economic development group says Data City has secured an unnamed initial customer and will announce its project in Q1 2026 Local government · Jan. 2026
  4. Feb. 4, 2026
    Site A regional business paper still describes the project entirely in future tense, with no site, permit or customer News report · Feb. 2026
  5. March 2026
    Site Q1 ends with no project announcement and no named customer Local government · Oct. 2026
  6. May 18, 2026
    Legal A county coalition opposes Data City at the Laredo council over water and transparency News report · May 2026
  7. Aug. 3, 2026
    Permits Laredo declines a moratorium; staff say no application has been received by the city or Webb County News report · Aug. 2026
  8. Sept. 21, 2026
    Permits The governor freezes state data center permits pending audits News report · Oct. 2026
The buildings

Specs

3 phases first phase 300 MW and 1 million sq ft; later phases undated, up to 15 million sq ft. News report · Oct. 2026

Who is involved

Owners, partners and builders

Owners and developers
  • Energy Abundance Development Corporation: developer, Houston
  • Brian Maxwell: founder and CEO
  • Andy Steinhubl: board member
Local promoter
  • Laredo Economic Development Corporation: published the unnamed-customer claim
Decision-makers
  • Webb County Commissioners Court: would hear any abatement
  • City of Laredo: says the site is outside city limits
  • Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: air permits
Opposition
  • Fronteras and Data Centers: Webb County coalition
Still unknown

Open questions

Where this comes from

97 records from 18 documents

Drawn from news reports, public and commercial datasets, company statements, state agency records and local government records, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.

News report 7Dataset 4Company 3State agency 3Local government 2
Evidence

Every quote behind this page

Grade key: A = the primary record itself (permit, filing, exhibit) · B = a dated official statement · C = news reporting. Map distances are our own measurements on OpenStreetMap and carry no grade. Allegations in lawsuits are marked as such in the quotes.

Power (25)
  • Texas House Bill 5600 fiscal note (89th Legislature, 2025 session) names Energy Abundance Development Corporation as a prospective hydrogen data-center company and states no hydrogen-powered data centers are currently op
    “there is expected prospective use of hydrogen for powering data centers by companies such as ECL and Energy Abundance Development Corporation”
    State agency · 2025 · grade A
  • IT capacity: not disclosed by developer in any source checked MW
    “Data City will be built in phases, with the first 300MW and 1 million sq ft of data center space set to launch in 2026”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Stated campus size: 5,000 MW
    “Data City will be built in phases, with the first 300MW and 1 million sq ft of data center space set to launch in 2026 and expand quickly to 5GW”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Interconnection status: BTM / off-grid by design - no position by design: Data City is announced as fully islanded from ERCOT, behind-the-meter, so no ERCOT interconnection exists or is sought on the announced design and
    “Fully islanded from ERCOT, the project combines wind, solar, batteries, and dual-fuel gas turbines”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Announced: March 20, 2025
    “Energy Abundance Announces Data City, Texas — The World's Largest Behind-the-Meter Data Center Hub Powered by 100% 24/7 Green Energy”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Stated campus size: 5,000 MW
    “a 5GW behind-the-meter data center hub to be built on 50,000 acres near the city of Laredo, powered by 100% 24/7 green energy”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Phases: Phase 1: 300 MW and 1 million sq ft of data center space, launch claimed 2026
    “the first 300MW and 1 million sq ft of data center space set to launch in 2026 and expand quickly to 5GW”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Original target date: 2026 (Phase 1 launch)
    “the first 300MW and 1 million sq ft of data center space set to launch in 2026”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Utility: none, fully islanded from ERCOT by design (company claim)
    “Fully islanded from ERCOT, the project combines wind, solar, batteries, and dual-fuel gas turbines”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Grid operator: none (islanded; not an ERCOT interconnection customer)
    “Fully islanded from ERCOT, the project combines wind, solar, batteries, and dual-fuel gas turbines”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Power plan: onsite (claimed fully islanded behind-the-meter hybrid; nothing built)
    “Fully islanded from ERCOT, the project combines wind, solar, batteries, and dual-fuel gas turbines, initially running on Texas-produced natural gas”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • On-site power technology: dual-fuel gas turbines (natural gas initially, green hydrogen later) plus wind, solar and battery storage
    “combines wind, solar, batteries, and dual-fuel gas turbines, initially running on Texas-produced natural gas and shifting over time to 100% green hydrogen”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Data City announced by PRNewswire release: 5 GW, 50,000 acres near Laredo, fully islanded, Phase 1 300 MW / 1M sq ft launch claimed for 2026
    “Data City will be built in phases, with the first 300MW and 1 million sq ft of data center space set to launch in 2026”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Associated generation site: Hydrogen supply is the company's adjacent Hydrogen City project, centered on the Piedras Pintas Salt Dome in Duval County, TX (a separate site from Data City)
    “The project is centered around a hydrogen storage facility in the Piedras Pintas Salt Dome located in Duval County, Texas”
    Company · March 2022 · grade B
  • Aliases: Data City Energy Center (generation-plant name used by GEM tracker)
    “Data City Energy Center is an announced power station in Laredo, Webb, Texas, United States”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • County: Webb County
    “Data City Energy Center is an announced power station in Laredo, Webb, Texas, United States”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • On-site generation: 300 MW
    “Unit 1, Announced, fossil gas: natural gas, 300 MW, gas turbine, start year 2026 (planned)”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Construction stage: not stated
    “Data City, Texas, Energy Abundance Development, Laredo area, Webb Co., 50,000 acres; 5 GW; 300 MW first phase, Proposed; islanded from ERCOT”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Interconnection status: none, no ERCOT queue filing exists; none required if islanded as claimed
    “ERCOT interconnection queue requests total about 474 GW, and approximately 90% are data centers, according to Abbott's letter to the grid operator”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Generator maker and model: no OEM or turbine model named in any source checked
    “Unit 1, Announced, fossil gas: natural gas, 300 MW, gas turbine”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Jurisdiction note: Unincorporated Webb County: Texas counties have no zoning; the real gates are a TCEQ air permit (state) and any Ch. 312 abatement via Commissioners Court; City of Laredo has no jurisdiction (site outsi
    “Rodriguez pointed the council to Section 24-63.2 of the code, which states that land uses not specifically identified as permitted are prohibited”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Q1 2026 ended with no phased announcement and no customer named; repeated searches through Oct 2026 found none, the LEDC-promised announcement appears never to have happened
    “is scheduled to announce their phased $25 to 50 billion behind-the-meter Power Generation and Data Center project in the 1 Quarter of 2026”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Inside the Data Center's Texas tracker lists Data City as Proposed (not under construction), Laredo area, Webb Co.
    “Data City, Texas, Energy Abundance Development, Laredo area, Webb Co., 50,000 acres; 5 GW; 300 MW first phase, Proposed; islanded from ERCOT”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • County inferred: Webb County, TX (project discussed as a Webb County / Laredo-area development; outside Laredo city limits; no county filing located)
    “a 5-gigawatt, behind-the-meter campus near Laredo designed to operate largely outside the state's electric grid”
    News report · May 2026 · grade C
  • Announced: March 20, 2025
    “Energy Abundance Development Corporation has unveiled plans for Data City, Texas—a 5GW behind-the-meter data center hub to be built on 50,000 acres near the city of Laredo, powered by 100% 24/7 green energy”
    News report · March 2025 · grade C
Money and contracts (13)
  • Tenants: none named as of Oct. 18, 2026
    “Energy Abundance's 5GW Data City Project has secured an initial customer”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Tenant status: rumoured
    “Energy Abundance's 5GW Data City Project has secured an initial customer and is scheduled to announce their phased $25 to 50 billion project in the 1 Quarter of 2026”
    Local government · Jan. 2026 · grade B
  • Stated capital cost: 25000000000-50000000000 phased project cost (LEDC claim; a cost figure, not financing) USD
    “their phased $25 to 50 billion behind-the-meter Power Generation and Data Center project”
    Local government · Jan. 2026 · grade B
  • customer / offtake agreement: existence claimed, no document no counterparty, MW, price or terms disclosed
    “Energy Abundance's 5GW Data City Project has secured an initial customer and is scheduled to announce their phased $25 to 50 billion project in the 1 Quarter of 2026”
    Local government · Jan. 2026 · grade B
  • LEDC President/CEO letter: Data City has secured an initial customer (unnamed) and will announce its phased $25-50B project in Q1 2026
    “Energy Abundance's 5GW Data City Project has secured an initial customer and is scheduled to announce their phased $25 to 50 billion project in the 1 Quarter of 2026”
    Local government · Jan. 2026 · grade B
  • Square feet: more than 15 million sq ft of leasable space at full build-out (claimed)
    “expand quickly to 5GW and over 15 million sq ft of leasable space as demand accelerates”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Financing: none disclosed, no debt, equity round, project financing or lender found in any source checked
    “Energy Abundance's 5GW Data City Project has secured an initial customer and is scheduled to announce their phased $25 to 50 billion project”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Incentives: none found, no Chapter 312/381 abatement or development agreement in any registry, agenda or official statement checked
    “Proposed Webb County Tax Abatement Guidelines and Criteria, Adopted July 27, 2026”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Paper or real: paper only: one press release, EDC promotion and tracker listings; zero permits, applications, agreements, financing, tenant or construction evidence
    “Despite the debate, city officials reiterated that they had not received any formal application for a data center within the city, and Webb County officials likewise reported no known applications”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • customer / offtake agreement: termination / cancellation / conditions not recordable, no executed agreement located, so no termination, cancellation or condition clauses exist to capture; the absence is the finding
    “Energy Abundance's 5GW Data City Project has secured an initial customer”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • tax abatement / development agreement (Tax Code Ch. 312; Local Gov Code Ch. 381): existence none found, no agreement in Comptroller SB 1340 registry checks, county agendas, or officials' statements
    “Proposed Webb County Tax Abatement Guidelines and Criteria, Adopted July 27, 2026”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • power purchase / energy service agreement: existence none found, project claims islanded self-supply; no PPA, ESA or gas supply contract disclosed anywhere
    “Fully islanded from ERCOT, the project combines wind, solar, batteries, and dual-fuel gas turbines”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • RGV Business Journal recap 11 months after announcement: project still described entirely in future tense, no site, permit, customer, financing or construction detail
    “The campus is expected to be built in phases, beginning with 300 megawatts of capacity and roughly 1 million square feet of data center space targeted for 2026”
    News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
Permits and government (11)
  • Current target date: 2026 still claimed on paper; no permit, application or construction evidence as of Oct 2026, date not credible
    “staff had not received an application for a high-intensity data center within city limits. She added that staff had also contacted Webb County, which reported it had not received an application”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • air permit (NSR or Electric Generating Unit standard permit): searched, no application found
    “Abilene DC 1, LLC (Abilene DC) dba Crusoe Energy Systems, LLC (Crusoe), has submitted the following modification application for a standard permit for electric generating units for the Longhorn Data Center”
    State agency · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • stormwater (TPDES construction general permit): searched, none found
    “Data City Energy Center is an announced power station in Laredo, Webb, Texas, United States”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • construction project registration (TABS): searched, none found
    “Project Name: Laredo II Building B - Petrom Logistics, Project Number: TABS2025001827, Location County: Webb”
    State agency · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Gov. Abbott directs PUCT/ERCOT to audit all data centers advancing through ERCOT's interconnection process; Batch Zero classifications paused; ERCOT targets a December 2026 report. Fully islanded projects like Data City
    “There are about 300 data centers 75 MW or larger navigating the Batch Zero process, and ERCOT will also perform a community impact review on data centers and crypto facilities of 25 MW and above”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Gov. Abbott directs TCEQ to issue no permits for data center projects until the ERCOT and TWDB audits complete; TCEQ compliance report due Oct 19, 2026. Data City has no TCEQ application to pause
    “Until they do, TCEQ will issue no permits sought by data center projects”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • local development application: officials state none received
    “staff had not received an application for a high-intensity data center within city limits”
    News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
  • Laredo City Council: Data-center standards item placed by Mayor Trevino: staff reported no application received in city limits and Webb County reported none either; council declined a temporary moratorium and directed dr
    “Instead of pursuing a moratorium, city leaders unanimously directed city management and the city attorney's office to draft regulations governing industries that require substantial water consumption”
    News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
  • Opposition: Fronteras and Data Centers coalition (Webb County), water-supply, wastewater and transparency objections raised at Laredo City Council May 18, 2026
    “a speaker representing a growing Webb County coalition identified as Fronteras and Data Centers voiced opposition to the proposed Data City Texas project”
    News report · May 2026 · grade C
  • Organized opposition surfaces: Fronteras and Data Centers coalition addresses Laredo City Council on water strain and lack of transparency
    “a speaker representing a growing Webb County coalition identified as Fronteras and Data Centers voiced opposition to the proposed Data City Texas project”
    News report · May 2026 · grade C
  • Laredo City Council: Public comment: Fronteras and Data Centers coalition opposed the Data City Texas project (water supply, wastewater, transparency; demanded no NDAs between officials and developer)
    “During the May 18, 2026 City Council meeting, a speaker representing a growing Webb County coalition identified as Fronteras and Data Centers voiced opposition to the proposed Data City Texas project”
    News report · May 2026 · grade C
Site and other (17)
  • Site acres announced: 50000 acres
    “a 5GW behind-the-meter data center hub to be built on 50,000 acres near the city of Laredo”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Name: Data City, Texas
    “Energy Abundance Development Corporation has unveiled plans for Data City, Texas, a 5GW behind-the-meter data center hub”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Developer: Energy Abundance Development Corporation
    “Energy Abundance Development Corporation has unveiled plans for Data City, Texas”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Developer former name: Green Hydrogen International Corp (renamed March 20, 2025)
    “Green Hydrogen International Corp. today announced its rebranding to Energy Abundance Development Corporation, effective immediately”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Developer headquarters: Houston, Texas
    “HOUSTON, March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Green Hydrogen International Corp. today announced its rebranding to Energy Abundance Development Corporation”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Acres: 50000 acres
    “a 5GW behind-the-meter data center hub to be built on 50,000 acres near the city of Laredo”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Cooling: centralized district cooling system optimized for direct-to-chip liquid cooling (design claim)
    “a centralized district cooling system optimized for direct-to-chip liquid cooling, supporting NVIDIA's latest Blackwell and Rubin chip designs”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Chips: NVIDIA Blackwell and Rubin (design claim)
    “supporting NVIDIA's latest Blackwell and Rubin chip designs”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Green Hydrogen International Corp renamed Energy Abundance Development Corporation (Houston dateline), same day as the Data City announcement
    “today announced its rebranding to Energy Abundance Development Corporation, effective immediately”
    Company · March 2025 · grade B
  • Same sponsor's Hydrogen City Phase 1 (2 GW production, two salt caverns) was promised for 2026 in its 2022 announcement; no construction evidence for it was found either, an unmet-timeline pattern directly relevant to D
    “the first phase expected to commence operations in 2026, consisting of 2GW of production and two storage caverns at the Piedras Pintas salt dome”
    Company · March 2022 · grade B
  • County code: 48479
    “Data City Energy Center, Laredo, Webb, Texas, United States”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Phases: Three phases reported; phases 2-3 undated, reaching 5 GW and over 15M sq ft
    “The data center campus will be built in three phases, according to the firm, with 300 megawatts of capacity and 1M SF due to come online next year”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Stage: announced only, paper project
    “city officials reiterated that they had not received any formal application for a data center within the city, and Webb County officials likewise reported no known applications”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Water use stated: not disclosed, developer has never stated a water source or volume in materials reviewed
    “Laredo draws its entire water supply from one river, and we are already projected to outgrow that supply within the next two decades”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Land control date: not evidenced, no land purchase, option or lease found for the claimed 50,000 acres
    “Data City Energy Center, Laredo, Webb, Texas, United States, 27.5163521, -99.4687474 (approximate)”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Time to service (months): not estimable, zero filings 19 months after announcement; Phase 1 2026 date missed
    “city departments, including legal, utilities, engineering and the fire department, likewise reported no known proposals”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Location description: Near Laredo, outside Laredo city limits, unincorporated Webb County
    “It was clarified by King that the proposed development is outside city limits and that no city discussions had taken place”
    News report · May 2026 · grade C