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Commissioners say Cameron County not ready for data centers; ordinance update underway
Summary
After a webinar, commissioners said Cameron County lacks the guaranteed energy and fiber connectivity required by large data centers and confirmed there are no active data-center projects in the county; staff are drafting ordinance updates for public review.
Commissioners discussed data-center feasibility and planning during the April 2 meeting, following a webinar presented by out-of-county experts.
Staff and commissioners said data centers require near-constant guaranteed power, dedicated fiber connectivity and long lead times for specialized equipment. The county’s planning and development solicitor is drafting updates to the subdivision and land development ordinance (Saldo) with initial input from the Industrial Development Authority, the Conservation District and the planning commission, to be released for public review and a town-hall session.
Commissioner James emphasized there are currently no data-center projects in Cameron County and cautioned against miscommunication spreading in the region, saying, “There are currently no projects in the works for a data center in Cameron County.” The discussion noted that regional supply-chain constraints for turbines and the need for 99.99999% uptime for some facilities create practical barriers that the county’s existing infrastructure — particularly fiber and guaranteed energy — does not yet meet.
The board expects the draft ordinance to be circulated for comment within a few weeks and scheduled a follow-up update at the next meeting.
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