Digital Infrastructure Expansion in Tom Green County
Technical, environmental, and socio-political analysis, San Angelo and surrounds

Tom Green County has become a contested frontier for AI infrastructure: a 1.2 GW Skybox/Emergent campus on city land next to an underused AEP substation, a gigawatt-scale Dove Creek proposal that triggered furious rural opposition, the county's only operating colo (Cloudnium SANG-1), and an unannounced Bitdeer build visible only in job postings, all colliding with a recall campaign, a new zoning code, and moratorium talk.

Master inventory

ParameterSkybox/EmergentDove Creek (Beacon)Cloudnium SANG-1Bitdeer
Size1.2 GW target; Ph1 100–250 MWGigawatt-scale (pipeline 3.8 GW / 2 GW registered)6.0→7.8 MWUndisclosed multi-MW
GridAEP Texas / ERCOTAEP Texas / ERCOTAEP TexasGrid-connected
Land~343–350 city acresPrecinct 4, acreage undisclosed10 acresUndisclosed
Floor space6→8 bldgs × 248k sq ft (1.5M→4.5M)Standardized AI shells~286,610 sq ft; 26–30k raised floorModular prefab
Cost$17.4–17.5M land; multi-$B buildout$358.5M wish list$28M acquisition (2019)Undisclosed
StatusZoning approved May 2026; due diligenceEarly exploration; oppositionOperational late 2024Recruiting mid-2026

Skybox/Emergent San Angelo Campus

The largest project ever proposed in the county sits northeast of San Angelo at US-67 and City Farm Road on ~343–350 acres of city-owned 'City Farm' land. In May 2025 the City Council voted 6-0 to negotiate the sale — ~$17.4–17.5M at $50,000/acre. Initial disclosures showed six four-story buildings (~1.5M sq ft); Emergent brochures later expanded the master plan to eight buildings, 1.2 GW, ~4.5M sq ft.

The speed-to-power thesis is the adjacent AEP Red Creek Substation, operating at roughly 10% of its limits. The project sits in due diligence pending legally mandated AEP/ERCOT transmission and load studies on the 1.2 GW draw; construction would phase over ~10 years at 18–24 months per building.

SpecificationValue
Phase 1 target100–250 MW critical IT
CoolingDry, air-cooled closed-loop glycol/water
Permanent jobs120–200 (blended $75–110k)
Staffing mix15% mgmt, 50% critical facilities, 25% security, 10% IT
Municipal revenue~$27M/yr franchise fees

Preview

You are reading 2 of 7 sections of this report.

Read the full report