A massive RGV Data Center proposal, pitched by Eneus Energy as a more-than-$14 billion, 2-gigawatt campus on roughly 1,785 acres east of Valley International Airport, has sparked a wave of pushback from residents and local officials worried about water and power in drought-stressed South Texas. On Tuesday, the Cameron County Commissioners Court adopted a resolution calling for public reporting of electricity and water use and opposing high-volume potable-water cooling systems. The Harlingen City Commission has also opened the legal process to consider a temporary moratorium on data center construction so officials can study potential impacts.
What the developer says
Eneus Energy says the RGV Data Center would roll out in phases across a 1,785-acre footprint, with up to 2 GW of total power capacity and a current design that includes 16 data halls, according to Eneus Energy. The company says it plans to use closed-cycle cooling with locally sourced reclaimed wastewater in order to avoid relying on potable water. Eneus projects more than $14 billion in capital investment, roughly $9 billion in economic impact through 2045 and about 1,000 jobs, including roughly 360 onsite positions, figures the developer says come from an independent study. The company also notes the project remains in an initial planning and evaluation phase and says it will work with regulators during permitting.
County pushes for guardrails
The Cameron County Commissioners Court unanimously backed a resolution that “supports responsible economic development” but “formally expresses opposition to the use of open-loop evaporative cooling systems or other high-volume potable water consumption technologies,” according to KRGV. County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. told the court the biggest concerns are potential strain on water and electrical systems. The resolution calls for full, transparent reporting of utility use and of any impacts to agriculture and habitat, and the court urged lawmakers to consider giving local governments more meaningful participation in large developments.
Harlingen weighs a moratorium
City leaders say the proposed site sits outside Harlingen’s municipal boundaries, which limits the city’s direct regulatory reach. Even so, commissioners voted to begin the formal moratorium process that requires public hearings before any pause could take effect, according to MySanAntonio. Mayor Norma Sepulveda told MySanAntonio that the commission must follow state public-hearing law and said officials are taking “responsible steps” as they evaluate the proposal. Residents and local scientists have been pressing for safeguards to protect farmland, groundwater and the regional power grid.
Why water and power matter
This local fight taps into a broader statewide debate over incentives, grid reliability and water use. The Texas Tribune reports that Texas’s data-center sales-tax exemption has grown into a billion-dollar annual cost as projects multiply. Critics warn that even projects promising efficiency and reclaimed-water cooling can concentrate enormous, continuous electricity demand and potentially large water needs, a tough combination in a region already dealing with long-running drought.
Site control and the project's status
Industry trackers say Eneus’s U.S. affiliate, RGV Property Group, has secured option documents on land near Valley International Airport and has pursued interconnection capacity, yet no formal permit package has been filed with local authorities and many technical questions remain, according to DataCenterDynamics. That lines up with Eneus’s own description of the campus as being in early planning and evaluation, which means timelines, capacity and infrastructure plans could still change as the project advances.
What happens next
Harlingen officials have said the moratorium process could last up to 120 days if it is enacted and that the city plans public hearings to give residents a formal chance to weigh in, as reported by the RGV Business Journal. County leaders have already called for transparent reporting and urged state lawmakers to consider measures that would give localities more influence over siting and operating rules for gigawatt-scale campuses.
Balancing growth and limits
The coming weeks will test whether Harlingen and Cameron County can craft enforceable protections that allow large investment without shortchanging local water and energy needs. Officials say they are listening to residents and utility planners while developers continue planning and interconnection work, according to reporting by national and regional outlets such as Governing.
