BUSINESS WIRE—New Era Energy and Digital Inc., a developer and operator of digital infrastructure and integrated power assets, announced Sept. 24 the successful completion of Phase One engineering for Texas Critical Data Centers LLC, its flagship data center and power development project in the West Texas and southeastern New Mexico Permian Basin. TCDC is New Era’s 50/50 joint venture with Sharon AI Inc.
The Phase One included the completion of environmental studies, all of which passed review, data center feasibility assessments, and load study results which TCDC intends to follow up with a large load interconnection application. We believe, these milestones validate the constructability of the project and the pathway for intended power delivery beginning in early 2027.
The TCDC campus is being designed to scale ultimately to 1 gigawatt (GW) of power capacity, positioning it as a premier site for AI-optimized data center complexes in North America. The project is underpinned by previously announced partnerships for behind-the-meter power islands to deliver reliable power and compliance with the new Texas Senate Bill 6 (SB6) regulations that impact large loads like data centers on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas power grid.
New Era is now advancing into Phase Two engineering focused on detailed data center site planning and additional infrastructure integration. New Era remains on track with its development schedule and continues to work in close coordination with regulatory agencies, engineering partners, and key stakeholders as it advances into the next phases of development.
TCDC is being developed at a scale and pace to partially meet the surging demand for GPU compute capacity, with AI infrastructure growth expected to accelerate exponentially over the next decade. By combining powered land, powered shells, and secured energy supply, New Era’s vertically integrated model is designed to lower tenant costs and shorten deployment timelines, compared to traditional providers. The project’s location in the Permian Basin further strengthens its value proposition, offering abundant energy resources, direct fiber connectivity, and the ability to expand beyond 438 acres to support long-term growth.
- Will Gray II, CEO of New Era Energy and Digital, commented: “We are de-risking one of the most ambitious AI data center site developments in the United States. Completion of Phase One engineering validates both the strength of our project and the discipline of our development approach. With major feasibility milestones and load studies cleared, we are accelerating toward Phase Two engineering and bringing our vision of energy-resilient, AI-native infrastructure one step closer to reality.”
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