Taylor County and the City of Abilene have approved a project with Lancium, a Houston-based energy technology and infrastructure company, to build a large scale, renewable energy powered data center campus in Abilene and Taylor County. This significant milestone, the largest project in Abilene and Taylor County history, is pending final negotiations with Taylor County, the City of Abilene, and the Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA). The project will begin at 200 megawatts with an expansion capacity to over a 1 gigawatt.
“We are very proud to be part of the community and build one of our flagship Clean Campuses in Abilene,” said Michael McNamara, Co-founder and CEO of Lancium. “We chose Abilene for our second Clean Campus because of its ideal location, proximity to abundant wind and solar generation, high-quality workforce and the opportunities to grow in the future. We want to thank the city, county and all of the members of the economic development team that worked together to help make this significant milestone possible.”
Lancium and its customers plan to invest $2.4 billion over 20 years, create 57 full-time jobs, and build their Clean Compute Campus on approximately 800 acres in Taylor County and Abilene, pending annexation into the city limits. This new development is expected to solidify the region as a major provider of renewable energy, while simultaneously hosting Bitcoin mining and other energy-intensive applications. Breaking ground in the first quarter of 2022, the Clean Compute Campus will initially contain approximately 100,000 square feet of industrial electric services equipment and data servers.
“We are proud to be at the forefront of this movement that will utilize and revitalize 800 acres of land,” said Taylor County Judge Downing Bolls. “This partnership is historic with Lancium’s projected investment of approximately $2.4 billion in improvements to real property in the County.”
Lancium is a leader in green, low-cost infrastructure whose solutions help ensure that renewable energy can power our future. The company uses its proprietary Smart ResponseTM software to enable the campus to act as a “Controllable Load Resource,” which allows the grid to absorb more renewable energy.
“Abilene is recognized for its skilled workforce. This opportunity to bring well-paying quality technology jobs to our community is one of the many ways we are continuing to build a better future for the families of Abilene,” said Abilene Mayor Anthony Williams.
“This project will bring new private capital investment into our community and grow important technology opportunities,” said Abilene City Manager Robert Hanna.
“This project brings immense value to our community as it is truly shaping our future,” said Jack Rich, DCOA Board Chair. “We are fortunate to have community resources that support the needs of companies like Lancium.”
“Lancium’s development is a tremendous opportunity to ensure the viability of the community for years to come through the diversification of our economy,” said Misty Mayo, President and Chief Executive Officer of the DCOA. “Over the next 20-years, this project is estimated to bring $993.4 million in total projected economic impact to Taylor County and the City of Abilene. This is the exact kind of opportunity the DCOA is tasked to find and win for our community.”
The campus will enhance the community’s workforce, tapping into a skilled labor force in the technical services industry. With four higher education institutions, a technical college, and a community college, the community boasts the necessary education to support future needs. In addition to powerful professionals, the community has robust infrastructure and a strategic location in the south-central United States that secures Abilene and Taylor County as the premier location for data centers and emerging technology.