Potentia unveils 450-acre behind-the-meter data center park in Texas

Potentia Development, a Texas-based land firm specializing in power-intensive industrial parks, has announced plans for a new behind-the-meter development in Bowie County, Texas, designed to host a prospective data center campus. The project, named Big Pine, spans 450 acres and is situated at the TexAmericas Center, with the company actively seeking a hyperscale, AI/HPC, neocloud, or other data center operator to serve as the anchor offtaker.

The announcement comes at a time of heightened uncertainty for grid-connected data center development in Texas. Earlier this month, Governor Gregg Abbott ordered an audit of all data center projects seeking grid interconnection through ERCOT, a move that Bloomberg NEF estimates could place up to 20 percent of the U.S. data center pipeline at risk. That policy shift is prompting a growing number of developers to explore off-grid solutions, positioning projects like Big Pine as increasingly attractive alternatives for operators seeking speed-to-power certainty.

Potentia said site control is already secured and that core site, environmental, and development due diligence has been completed. The company intends to deliver power through islanded on-site generation rather than a grid connection, with initial energization targeted 20 to 30 months after a qualifying offtaker signs on. The power architecture is being designed to allow for a future grid interconnection without requiring a redesign of the site’s entire electrical system, offering flexibility as project requirements evolve.

In parallel, a permanent utility connection is being pursued through AEP subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO). Potentia noted that an AEP-SWEPCO screening has identified transmission headroom on an adjacent 345kV line, supporting a phased pathway to 800MW of utility service. The phased capacity schedule begins in Q2 of 2032 with 300MW, followed by an additional 200MW expected by Q2 of 2034, and a further 300MW in Q2 of 2036. That timeline remains subject to Southwest Power Pool’s study processes, system upgrades, and definitive agreements.

To support its onsite systems, Potentia said it has advanced multi-gigawatt natural gas delivery concepts with interstate pipeline operators. The site also has access to existing regional water infrastructure and multiple fiber carrier routes, addressing key requirements for large-scale data center operations.

“At this scale, every unbounded workstream is a claim on the offtaker's capital and schedule,” said Carl Quesinberry, CEO of Potentia Development. “We advanced BTM power, permitting, grid, gas, water, fiber and site diligence in parallel so a qualified user is not underwriting open-ended development exposure.”

Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, Potentia specializes in master-planning multi-tenant industrial parks tailored for power-intensive operations like data centers. In January of last year, the company partnered with AI and high-performance computing Infrastructure-as-a-Service provider Hypertec Cloud to supply access to more than 480MW of power through Potentia data centers in the U.S. Potentia also lists Schneider Electric, JLL, Submer, Quanta, and Solvenz among its partners.

The Big Pine project reflects a broader industry shift toward behind-the-meter development as operators grapple with grid interconnection delays and policy uncertainty. By front-loading due diligence across power, permitting, gas, water, fiber, and site readiness, Potentia is positioning the project to minimize the development risk that offtakers typically absorb, potentially accelerating the path to energization for a future anchor tenant.