A spokesperson for Skybox Datacenters of Dallas said a planned data center project in Wichita Falls “is continuing along according to planned schedule as of now.”
Haynes Strader, chief development officer at Skybox, told the Times Record News on Monday his company cannot comment on the process underway with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
An ERCOT plan to approve data centers and other large electricity user in batches rather than individually was approved Thursday, June by the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, according to a media release from PUC.
ERCOT said in its own media release on Thursday, June 18 that the use of batches was undertaken because Texas is experiencing “an unprecedented surge in demand for electricity” from data centers, cryptocurrency operations and large industrial plants.
ERCOT defined a large user as a single site with a peak electricity demand of more than 75 megawatts — or the same amount of electricity that can power 18,750 homes during ERCOT peak hours.
Skybox Datacenters said in its company literature the Wichita Falls campus of up to seven buildings with electrical substations will provide 300-plus megawatts for clients.
Strader told TRN on June 9 the ERCOT process was “a highly dynamic situation that we’re involved with. We can’t speak publicly about it.”
Stader said Monday electricity use would also be subject to the ERCOT process.
In addition, ERCOT outlined important dates in Thursday’s media release, starting with the first batch of applications, called “Batch Zero.”
ERCOT said applications for the next batch study, Batch 1, will be accepted beginning in summer 2027.
The Wichita Falls City Council in October 2025 approved sale of 225 acres in the city’s business park for $14.5 million for development of the data center campus by Skybox.
At a formal announcement in February, Moriah Williams, CEO of the Forward Wichita Falls nonprofit, called the Skybox deal “the biggest industry announcement Wichita Falls has ever seen.”
In November 2024, the City Council approved rezoning of 227 acres in north Wichita Falls for a data center and battery storage unit by San Francisco developer Mark Calvano.
On May 5, the Wichita Falls City Council voted against a request to rezone land sandwiched between Interstate Highway 44, Spur 325 and Airport Drive for a data center planned by Data Nova X.
A plan by Google to build a large data center on the outskirts of Wichita Falls in Archer County has drawn intense opposition from some Archer County residents.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls data center ‘continuing along’ as permit process OK’d
Reporting by Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News | USA TODAY Network
