Texas data center developer New Era Energy & Digital has signed a 20-year PPA with Vistra subsidiary Luminant for at least 207MW to power the first phase of its Texas Critical Data Center project in Ector County. Power will come directly from Vistra’s 1.1GW natural gas plant in Odessa, located next to the data center site. Deliveries are expected to begin in Q3 2027 through New Era subsidiary TCDC PowerCo.
“Having firm, contracted power for phase one in New Era’s name is an incredible milestone which we believe materially reduces phase one development risk at TCDC,” said Charlie Nelson, chairman and CEO of New Era. “We said last month that holding this power ourselves is what would turn TCDC from a site with a power plan into permitted powered land. That is what this agreement is intended to do. With the land secured, construction permits in hand, phase one power contracted for 20 years, and room to expand to multiple phases, we believe this is an attractive opportunity to any quality tenant currently in the market.”
The agreement gives Vistra a 5% non-voting stake in the data center after the first power delivery. Vistra will also have first refusal rights on future TCDC development opportunities and first offer rights on certain future projects.
“Demand for reliable power to support digital infrastructure continues to grow across the United States,” said Claudia Morrow, senior vice president of corporate development and strategy at Vistra. “We are pleased to work with New Era on a long-term power arrangement for the TCDC project and to establish a framework that allows us to evaluate additional power opportunities together over time.”.jpg)
