Reading and Podcast Picks is a collection of what we’ve been reading and listening to over the last week or so about energy topics.
In addition to these R&P Picks, paid subscribers receive access to the full archives, Grid Roundups, and select episodes of the Energy Capital Podcast. Please subscribe today.
SpaceX plans $24 billion data center project in Starbase | The Texas Tribune
On about 444 acres near the Port of Brownsville, SpaceX plans a $24 billion data center and gas-fired power plant. The plant would power the site directly instead of connecting to the state grid. The land is no longer part of Brownsville, so the project avoids the city’s new 90-day data center moratorium.
A SpaceX representative didn’t provide details as to why the company wanted the land, located near the Port of Brownsville out of Brownsville’s city limits, but the company pressured the city to approve the de-annexation quickly or else the $220 million would be off the table. The city agreed, but the move drew widespread condemnation from residents and environmental activists who believed the city was allowing SpaceX to further take over land in the area.
Utility, tech officials see opportunities to increase grid utilization | Utility Dive
On the other side of the large-load question, panelists at BloombergNEF’s summit in Houston argued that the existing grid has plenty of unused headroom. Typical utilization is only 40% to 60%, and flexible arrangements like on-site batteries could get data centers connected faster.
Jessica Hogle, NRG’s vice president of federal affairs, said that utilities should think ambitiously about grid flexibility.
“We should just say: ‘This is our goal and we will get there’,” Hogle said.
NRG, a Texas-based independent power producer and retail energy provider, aims to deliver 25 GW of demand response, energy storage and virtual power plant capacity by 2035, she said, adding that NRG believed the goal was ambitious but achievable.
