What solar? What wind? Texas data centers build their own gas power plants

Summary

In a statement, Sandow Lakes Energy denied that the power plant will be loud. “The sound level at the nearest property line will be similar to a quiet library,” the statement said. Sandow Lakes Energy said the plant will support the local tax base and provide hundreds of temporary construction jobs and dozens of permanent jobs. Sandow also provided several letters signed by area residents who support the plant. “We recognize the critical need for reliable, efficient, and environmentally responsible energy production to support our region’s growth and economic development,” wrote Nathan Bland, president of the municipal development district in Rockdale, about 20 miles from the project site. Brown stands next to a pond on his property ringed with cypress trees he planted 30 years ago. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News Brown stands next to a pond on his property ringed with cypress trees he planted 30 years ago. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News Sandow says the plant will be connected to Texas’ public grid, and many supporting letters for the project cited a need for grid reliability. But according to permitting documents, the 1,200 MW plant will supply only 80 MW to the grid and only temporarily, with the rest going to private customers. “Electricity will continue to be sold to the public until all of the private customers have completed projects slated to accept the power being generated,” said a permit review by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Sandow has declined to name those customers. However, the plant is part of Sandow’s massive, master-planned mixed-use development in rural Lee and Milam counties, where several energy-hungry tenants are already operating, including Riot Platforms, the largest cryptocurrency mine on the continent. The seven-building complex in Rockdale is built to use up to 700 MW, and in April, it announced the acquisition of a neighboring, 125 MW cryptocurrency mine, previously operated by Rhodium. Another mine ...