Fluidstack Gets Site-Work Permit for $4 Billion Texas AI Data Center
Fluidstack has secured a worksite permit from Cameron County, Texas, clearing the way for land preparation at a planned $4 billion AI data center campus near Harlingen while leaving building construction subject to further approvals.
The county announced the permit on Thursday for a site in an unincorporated area near Valley International Airport. It allows clearing, grading, utility installation and construction of roads and stormwater infrastructure. Separate permits will be needed before work on the buildings can begin, according to the county’s statement.
Fluidstack said it had begun the $4 billion project’s first phase. The developer’s website describes a campus spanning more than 1,100 acres, with first-phase construction scheduled to conclude by mid-2028. Additional phases remain under consideration. Fluidstack projects more than 2,500 construction jobs and several hundred permanent positions.
The permit follows a local dispute over drainage. Harlingen commissioners postponed an agreement that would have allowed stormwater to flow into a city-owned canal, KRGV reported. Company spokesperson Kate Franko told the broadcaster Fluidstack would pursue alternative discharge plans. Mayor Norma Sepulveda said the city lacked authority to stop the development because it lies outside Harlingen’s boundaries.
Cameron County said Fluidstack had voluntarily agreed to follow its data center resolution and Gov. Greg Abbott’s development directives. County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. said qualifying applications must receive permits under state law, while oversight continues throughout development. The county is providing no tax abatement. Its announcement did not detail an alternative drainage arrangement.
Water and electricity demands remain points of contention. US Rep. Vicente Gonzalez told KRGV he opposed data center development while South Texas faces water shortages and pressure on its energy infrastructure.
Fluidstack says the campus will use closed-loop cooling, recirculating water after an initial fill, with routine daily consumption limited to employee facilities. It has pledged to cover its energy, water and infrastructure costs and says it is developing on-site generation to reduce demand on the Texas grid. These are the developer’s commitments; the permit announcement does not quantify the campus’s power requirements or water allocation.
The project advances as Fluidstack expands its role in AI infrastructure. Anthropic announced a $50 billion US computing infrastructure investment in November 2025 involving Fluidstack-built facilities in Texas and New York. That announcement did not identify Cameron County as a location.
