Cipher Digital McLennan County data center (near Riesel)

Status

Proposed / in development

Developer / parties

Cipher Digital

Location

Near Riesel, on land near the Sandy Creek Power Plant (company via KXXV); exact location still being evaluated, McLennan County

Size

Not finalized (company via KXXV); DCD says Cipher previously mentioned a 500 MW McLennan development, and its investor presentation says land is secured with energization around 2028 (company via DCD)

Reported benefits

Third-party tax consultant estimate of about $13M a year in taxes on average over ten years (company letter)

Concerns / impacts

Residents raised concerns (KXXV); Commissioner Wilson said he opposes data centers in McLennan County (KXXV)

Last verified

2026-11-01

Power

• Company claim PUCT Project 58481 security and transmission costs: Cipher will comply with PUCT Project 58481, pay financial security to the utility and pay transmission equipment construction costs (Cipher letter). bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com ↗

Water

• Company claim No City of Riesel water for cooling: Cipher does not plan to use City of Riesel water for cooling; may request city water for staff sinks and toilets; water use not yet estimated (Cipher letter). bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com ↗

Power and water projects tied to this data center: on-site or dedicated generation, utility and grid capacity deals, substations, water supply, reclaimed water and wastewater permits. Each item is labeled by source type.