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Data Center Projects in Milam County, Texas
Last verified: October 27, 2026 · 2 tracked projects · 7 tracked records
Overview
Texas Data Center Watch tracks two data center projects in Milam County.
Stargate Milam County (Freebird Phase 1 / DC01) near Burlington is listed as under construction. OpenAI selected SB Energy to build and operate its 1.2 GW Milam County site (OpenAI). The state building registration for Phase 1 (TDLR TABS) lists 548,950 sq ft, four data halls and an estimated cost of $470M, with OpenAI as tenant. It gives an Oct. 20, 2025 start and an Oct. 15, 2026 completion (TDLR).
Riot Rockdale AI/HPC data center conversion is listed as approved (tax abatement). County minutes list a public hearing and an action item on the proposed abatement on Jan. 12, 2026 (Jan. 12 minutes), a presentation and executive session on Jan. 27 (minutes), and the hearing and action item again on Feb. 9 (Feb. 9 minutes). The minutes we've opened don't record the outcome. KXXV reported that commissioners approved a 75%, 10-year abatement, with Riot paying 25% of its property taxes from 2028 through a PILOT, and that Commissioner Payne was the only no vote (KXXV).
On Aug. 10, Riot announced a 20-year, 191 MW lease with an unnamed frontier AI lab. Together with its AMD lease, Riot now has 241 MW of critical IT capacity contracted (Riot).
Tracked projects
| Project | Developer | Status | Capacity / size | Investment | Key dates | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stargate Milam County (Freebird Phase 1 / DC01), Burlington | SB Energy; OpenAI (tenant per TDLR filing) | Under construction | 1.2 GW planned; Phase 1 = 548,950 sq ft, 4 data halls | Phase 1 est. cost $470M (TDLR TABS) | Oct 20 2025 Phase 1 start · Apr 15 2026 TDLR registration · Sep 14 2026 Milam County Commissioners Court agenda/minutes list a presentation by OpenAI and SB Energy on the progress of Project Freebird (content not recorded) · Oct 15 2026 Phase 1 scheduled completion | TDLR TABS · SB Energy page · OpenAI · Milam County minutes |
| Riot Rockdale AI/HPC data center conversion, Rockdale | Riot Platforms (Riot Rockdale, LLC) | Approved (tax abatement) | 241 MW critical IT contracted: AMD 50 MW + frontier AI lab 191 MW (company figure, Riot Q2 2026 release) | Not recorded | Jan 12 2026 minutes list a public hearing and action item on the proposed Riot Rockdale abatement (outcome not recorded) · Jan 27 2026 presentation and executive session on Riot (minutes) · Feb 9 2026 minutes again list the public hearing and action item · KXXV reports commissioners approved a 75% / 10-yr abatement, Riot pays 25% of property taxes from 2028 (PILOT), Comm. Payne the lone no vote · Aug 10 2026 Riot announced 20-yr 191 MW lease with unnamed frontier AI lab, full deployment expected Jun 2028 (company) | Milam County minutes 1 · Milam County minutes 2 · Milam County minutes 3 · KXXV · Company release |
Sources for each project are linked in the table. Figures labeled "company" come from the developer.
Record timeline
| Date | Type | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2026 | TCEQ permit | Public Citizen: TCEQ issued construction stormwater coverage Oct 2 to MDC Building 1, LLC for 'Milam Data Center Building 1', US-77 and FM 134, Burlington. | Public Citizen |
| Oct 1, 2026 | TCEQ permit | Public Citizen: TCEQ approved industrial wastewater permit WQ0000395000 for Sandow Lakes Ranch (SLR Property I), Rockdale, near Bitdeer's site. | Public Citizen |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Commissioners court | Agenda/minutes item 9: presentation by OpenAI and SB Energy on progress of Project Freebird. Content not recorded. | Milam County minutes |
| Aug 10, 2026 | Company announcement | Riot announces 20-yr, 191 MW critical IT lease with unnamed frontier AI lab at Rockdale; 241 MW contracted in total. | Company release |
| Apr 15, 2026 | Building registration (TDLR) | TDLR TABS: 'Freebird Data Center Phase 1' (DC01), 548,950 sq ft, $470M; tenant listed as OpenAI. | TDLR TABS |
| Feb 9, 2026 | Tax abatement | Minutes list public hearing and action on Riot Rockdale abatement; KXXV reports approval, 75%/10 yrs, Payne lone no. | Milam County minutes |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Commissioners court | Minutes list public hearing and action item on proposed Riot Rockdale tax abatement; outcome not recorded. | Milam County minutes |
What's next
These dates come from the tracker. Texas Data Center Watch has no recorded upcoming Milam County hearings or votes on data centers.
- Oct. 15, 2026 (passed; completion not confirmed): Scheduled completion date of Freebird Phase 1 (DC01) in its TDLR registration (TDLR).
- 2028: Riot's PILOT payments (25% of property taxes) begin, per KXXV (KXXV).
- June 2028: Riot expects full deployment of the 191 MW lease (Riot).
- Statewide permit pause: Under the Governor's Sept. 21 order halting permits sought by data centers (Governor's office), TCEQ sent its Oct. 19 compliance letter: it says permits for infrastructure directly supporting data centers are paused, pending applications are being screened, and claimed authorizations are suspended where possible (TCEQ letter). The Texas Tribune reported Oct. 20 that TCEQ says stormwater permits flagged by Public Citizen were suspended (Texas Tribune). On Oct. 21 TCEQ posted that its STEERS e-filing system for automatic authorizations is temporarily shut down so staff can check whether applications relate to data centers (TCEQ STEERS notice); the Texas Tribune reports a spokesman said applications must be physically provided (Texas Tribune, Oct. 21). The tracker doesn't show whether any project in Milam County has a pending TCEQ permit.
Frequently asked questions
What data center projects are tracked in Milam County, Texas? Two: Stargate Milam County (Freebird Phase 1 / DC01) in Burlington, listed as under construction; Riot Rockdale AI/HPC data center conversion in Rockdale, listed as approved (tax abatement).
Is OpenAI behind the Milam County data center? The state registration for Freebird Phase 1 lists OpenAI as tenant (TDLR), and OpenAI says it selected SB Energy to build and operate its 1.2 GW Milam County site (OpenAI).
What tax break did Milam County give Riot? KXXV reported a 75% abatement for 10 years, with Riot paying 25% of its property taxes from 2028 through a PILOT; Commissioner Payne voted no (KXXV). County minutes list the hearing and action item but don't record the outcome (minutes).
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