The Fort Worth Group of the Sierra Club is calling on residents to oppose air quality permits linked to the project. According to local Brian Crawford, Sailfish Investors, partners with NRG Energy, have a contingent contract on about 2,100 acres in the area. Crawford said the proposed project was initially supposed to be a five-gigawatt data center but now looks like it will be three, and it would likely need to be supplemented by three 'massive' natural gas power plants. Plans presented to Hood County commissioners revealed 45 buildings that are about 45,000 square-feet each. Whether the proposal will be approved by Texas authorities remains uncertain, and the exact environmental impact and potential destruction to dinosaur footprints and wildlife habitats are unknown.
Separately, Google has struck a partnership for a natural gas power plant that could provide energy for one of its datacenters in Texas. The gas power plant is slated to be built in Armstrong county, Texas, led by Crusoe Energy, which partnered with Google to develop the datacenter campus known as 'Goodnight'. Crusoe filed for a permit in January to build a 933-megawatt power plant onsite at the Goodnight campus. According to Crusoe's permit application, the power plant would emit as much as 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. Google spokesperson Chrissy Moy said the company does not have a contract in place for the plant in Texas.
Satellite images confirm construction is well under way at the Goodnight campus.