Several major data center companies have committed to following new standards established by Gov. Greg Abbott as Texas officials move to impose stricter requirements on the industry’s impact on the state’s electric grid, water resources and local communities.

New Standards

Since Abbott announced the standards earlier this summer, QTS Data Centers, Skybox, Digital Realty, Mara, Meta, OpenAI, Oracle, EdgeConneX, and Stream Data Centers have announced plans to comply with the requirements, according to the governor’s office.

Amazon and Google also have expressed support for the standards, while Diode announced it would no longer pursue a proposed data center in Henderson County.

Abbott directed the Public Utilities Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to establish a review process for data center projects seeking to connect to the Texas electric grid.

Requirements

Under the standards, data centers are expected to provide regulators with detailed information about their proposed projects before they can move forward.

This includes disclosure of taxpayer-funded incentives, grants, tax abatements and other public financial assistance connected to a project.

Companies must also provide projected electricity demand and explain plans for on-site power generation or other measures designed to reduce their reliance on the ERCOT grid.

Water conservation is another major part of the state’s review process.

Data center operators must identify their water sources, projected water consumption, water-reuse practices and water-efficient cooling technologies.

Projects also must outline plans to limit their effects on surrounding communities.

These plans can include noise mitigation, lighting controls, property setbacks, traffic improvements and emergency response coordination.

Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.