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Project Lufkin

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AmpZ Champion Data Center Holdings: former Southland Paper Mill site
Pre-construction

AmpZ Champion Data Center Holdings (parent: Amp Energy) is redeveloping the 1,041-acre former Southland Paper Mill site on SH-103 East into a phased hybrid AI campus (from a 55 MW grid connection today to an ultimate 2.1 GW by 2029) while negotiating Chapter 381 protections against organized local opposition and running a closed-loop water system that cuts site water use from the legacy mill's 20 million gallons/day to about 500 gallons/day.

2.1 GWPlanned power
Developer
AmpZ Champion Data Center Holdings (parent: Amp Energy) with EPG Champion Development LLC (Atlanta) as renewable-energy partner
Owner
AmpZ Champion Data Center Holdings
Tenant
Hyperscale, AI, and HPC workloads (unnamed)
Power detail
Phased hybrid buildout: 55 MW grid-connected today → 175 MW (2026) → 1.1 GW via Oncor grid (2028) → 2.1 GW ultimate with 1 GW self-generation added by 2029
Power source
Hybrid: Oncor transmission grid connection scaling from 55 MW to 1.1 GW by 2028, plus 1 GW of on-site self-generation added by 2029 for an ultimate 2.1 GW
Cooling
Closed-loop water system: designed for ~500 gallons/day (equivalent to three residential homes), versus the legacy Southland Paper Mill's historical draw of up to 20 million gallons/day
Compute
Hyperscale/AI/HPC data center campus (unnamed tenants)
Construction start
Sited/announced February 2026 (exact day not disclosed); negotiations ongoing
Est. completion
Phased: 175 MW (2026) → 1.1 GW (2028) → 2.1 GW ultimate incl. 1 GW self-generation (2029)
Grid strategy
Hybrid (grid + on-site)
County
Angelina
Nearest city
Lufkin
Announced
2026-02-01