Questions we hear from residents, neighbors, and local officials.
PART ONE
ENERGY & POWER GRID
Will the facility affect our local power supply or cause outages?
No, and that’s important to us. Our project will make the substantial majority of its own power on-site, “behind the meter,” so it won’t put added strain on the public grid for its power needs. Our project also grows in phases as demand grows. Over the longer term, we expect our private power grid to be able to provide power back to the public grid to support residents in times of peak demand.
Will local residents see higher electricity bills because of this facility?
No. Our project will have no impact on your electricity bills because we will produce the substantial majority of our own power. We are paying the cost to install our own natural gas powered turbines, substations, and transmission lines on site. We’ve designed our advanced energy and AI ecosystem so that the companies and tenants who benefit from the power produced on-site pay the energy costs. They will not be passed along to your bill.
What energy sources will power this facility, and how clean are they?
Phase 1 of the project will run primarily on natural gas. It is the most readily available, reliable, and lower-carbon energy source to provide the around-the-clock power that AI workloads need. Our long-term vision for the campus adds nuclear and solar over time; in fact, sections of our nuclear license application are already under active review by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, building toward a cleaner energy mix as those next phases come online.
Does Fermi pay for the energy infrastructure it needs, or is it passed to the public?
We will pay for the infrastructure needed. Our capital investment will pay for the on-site power system, the natural gas lines, the water distribution and closed-loop cooling systems, interconnections, transmission lines, and the campus roads.
WATER USAGE & CONSERVATION
How much water will the facility use, and where does it come from?
Fermi is employing a four-pillar water strategy (shown below) to conserve and reuse water at every stage of operations.
This strategy maximizes dry and hybrid cooling across the entire campus, maximizes reuse through closed loop systems, matches water quality to each use, and pursues innovative reductions in consumption.
To put our water usage into perspective, there are roughly 3,125 agricultural pivots in the Texas Panhandle. Each pivot uses about 2.5 million gallons of water. The most water we will need is equivalent to about 17 pivots.
Learn more about how we’re approaching water conservation in Chief Site Development Officer Charlie Hamilton’s testimony before the Texas House Natural Resources Committee.
Our private power plant is cooled by dry, air-cooled systems that use minimal water for cooling, or hybrid systems that use 80% less water than their fully water-cooled counterparts. Our closed-loop dry cooling system will be the campus standard, which keeps water use below that of the average U.S. household. We also plan to recycle and reuse water on-site, draw on reclaimed and non-potable water unsuitable for other uses, and capture annual rainfall as we work toward becoming a water producer.
Learn more in this blog from our Chief Nuclear Officer, Mesut Uzman.
NOISE & LIGHT POLLUTION
Will the facility be noisy or create light pollution for neighbors?
Project Matador sits on approximately 8,400 of acres of remote land, separated from neighborhoods. There is a lot of natural distance between our operations and any residential area. Like every power utility, we must run around the clock, and we’re building noise mitigation into the facility design. Our exterior lighting is also designed for safety and security without impacting neighboring properties.
AIR QUALITY & EMISSIONS
What emissions does the facility produce, and how are they controlled and monitored?
Our main emissions come from natural gas generation, permitted and regulated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Over time, our generators will use advanced emissions-control technology and operate primarily in combined cycle, which increases overall efficiency. Our TCEQ air permits set firm limits and monitoring requirements that we must follow.
Does the facility use diesel generators for full-time power?
No. We have no plans to use diesel generators at the site for full-time power. Project Matador runs on continuous on-site natural gas generation as its primary power source.
TRAFFIC & INFRASTRUCTURE
How will construction traffic and noise be managed during the build?
We expect the facility to support more than 10,000 construction jobs per day during peak buildout. That’s a significant economic benefit for the Panhandle economy. At the same time, building a project of this size will bring a temporary increase in construction and traffic. We have plans to minimize impacts through careful logistics and scheduling around peak travel times. Plus, the remote location of the site will help reduce impacts on neighbors.
What road improvements is Fermi responsible for?
Fermi builds and funds the campus road network and coordinates with TxDOT on any required improvements to surrounding infrastructure.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
What jobs will the project create locally and during construction?
Project Matador is expected to create nearly 5,500 permanent, high-quality jobs at full buildout. About 3,000 of those will be in data center operations, with the balance across the natural gas and planned nuclear facilities. That’s significant for a region that’s seen little economic growth in decades. During the multi-year build, the project is expected to support more than 10,000 construction jobs across the Panhandle. We’ve already engaged many established Texas-based contractors, and hiring locally is a priority.
What tax revenue will this facility generate for local government and schools?
We’re still working to confirm the specifics through an independent economic impact study, but our project is expected to add a meaningful new long-term tax base for Carson County and its school district.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
How can I stay informed, and who do I contact with concerns?
We want you to be in the loop. This FAQ is one way. Our community teams also work directly with residents and local officials. We participate in public meetings as part of the permitting process. In addition, we maintain a dedicated community contact for your questions and concerns, and we aim to respond quickly.
Will Fermi be engaged with and contributing to the community?
Absolutely. We’re investing in Carson County for the long haul. We’re creating local jobs, economic growth, tax revenue, and real engagement with the people and community leaders. Some of our early community partnerships include Texas Tech, AmTech BizTown, Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, and Carson County Heroes.
SAFETY & SECURITY
What cybersecurity protections are in place, and is local infrastructure at risk?
Our project runs as a private power utility that’s isolated from the public grid and structurally separate from regional infrastructure. We’re building to recognized security standards (including pursuing SOC 2), with layered physical security and full perimeter fencing already in place.
What is the emergency response plan?
Phase 1 is a natural gas power and data center campus with its own on-site fire, safety, and emergency-response systems and close coordination with regional responders. Any future nuclear generation would be a separate, later phase and have its own emergency response plan. Sections of the nuclear license application is already under active NRC review, and it would operate under the NRC’s rigorous, independent safety framework.
What about the Pantex Plant nearby — is it safe to be located beside a federal nuclear facility?
Sharing the neighborhood with Pantex is an advantage for us. Pantex is a U.S. Department of Energy facility that has safely handled some of the nation’s most sensitive nuclear materials for more than 70 years under some of the most rigorous safety oversight in the world. Many residents in the area already have a good working knowledge of Pantex, and that’s helpful to us because we start with a community that’s already well versed in nuclear energy and the safety measures in place. We also benefit from an established federal security presence, mature emergency-response infrastructure, and a skilled local workforce with deep nuclear experience.
While each site operates independently with its own systems, we coordinate with federal and regional partners on safety and emergency preparedness, and our location next to Pantex was formally reviewed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as part of our licensing.
PART TWO
Fact Check: What’s Claimed, What’s Documented
Five common concerns we hear about Fermi’s private power grid in Carson County — and what is already in the public record.
“I’m worried it will raise my electric bill.”
Our project is what’s called “behind-the-meter.” This means it generates the substantial majority of its own electricity instead of adding strain to the public grid. Think of it in terms of a rancher who has his own well instead of pulling water from a municipality. This is the opposite of the pattern driving rate increases elsewhere in the country. On June 10, 2026, Gov. Abbott directed the PUCT and ERCOT to make data centers pay for their own electric infrastructure; regulators have since begun requiring exactly that.
“I’m concerned the project will drain the aquifer.”
Regulations are established to address this concern, and Fermi must abide by them. The Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District permits one acre-foot per contiguous acre per year, metered and enforced, with identical rules for data centers, farms, cities, and industries. Fermi was not granted any exceptions or waivers to these rules. The Company has also agreed to pay Amarillo twice the standard municipal water rate and build city water infrastructure at its own cost.
For scale: the Texas Panhandle uses roughly 694 billion gallons of water per year — about 1.9 billion gallons every day — and roughly 90% of that is irrigated agriculture. Fermi’s firm contract is about 0.13% of total water use in the Panhandle, roughly one gallon in 760.
“Nobody will say how much water it will really use.”
The maximum amount is set by law regardless of what any projection says. Our project must operate under the same water framework as every Panhandle irrigator: one acre foot of water per acre of land per year. That’s the limit set and enforced by the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District. Fermi was granted no special exemptions, carve outs, or waivers. In addition, Fermi America has agreed to pay the City of Amarillo twice the standard municipal water rate while building water infrastructure for the city at the company’s own cost, helping fund and strengthen the city’s water system rather than drawing it down.
In practice, the campus will rely on air cooled condensers and advanced hybrid cooling towers that cool primarily with air and move water through closed loop systems, an approach the company expects will use about 80% less water than conventional water-based methods.
The company plans to clean and recycle water on site rather than draw fresh and discard. Flush water from cooling systems is captured, treated, and returned to the loop instead of being thrown away. Wastewater from sinks and restrooms is treated and reused for industrial purposes, with none of it discharged off site. Industrial tasks run on recycled, non-drinking grade water kept entirely separate from drinking water, and planned systems will capture rainwater from the campus rooftops and put it back to use.
In the long term, Fermi is aiming to become water positive, and its engineers are actively studying technologies including absorption chilling, brackish desalination, and controlled environment agriculture for future integration into the project.
“Air-cooled nuclear is experimental.”
Closed-loop indirect dry cooling, also called the Heller system, has run commercially since the 1950s, including South Africa’s 4,000+ MW Kendal station and Germany’s Neckarwestheim Unit 2, which operated 34 years on hybrid wet-dry cooling. The towers run dry below 95°F and use stored reservoir water only on the hottest afternoons. Critically, the AP1000’s safety systems are passive (based on gravity and natural circulation) and do not depend on the towers at all.
Fermi’s use of the technology would be a first for a large U.S. reactor, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing the use of that technology now. That review is the right place to settle it.
“I don’t want to live near a nuclear facility.”
The Panhandle has worked with nuclear materials since 1950. The Pantex facility sits 17 miles northeast of Amarillo and employs more than 4,000 people in the area. Pantex is a U.S. Department of Energy facility that has safely handled some of the nation’s most sensitive nuclear materials for more than 70 years. This region has the workforce, public awareness, and safety culture few places can match. Plus, a licensed commercial reactor operates under the oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with public participation at every stage.
