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Data Center Projects in Navarro County, Texas
Last verified: October 27, 2026 · 2 tracked projects · 6 tracked records
Overview
Texas Data Center Watch tracks two data center projects in Navarro County, including EG AI's proposed micro data center at 800 NW McKinney St in Rice (an SUP application covers about 5.284 acres). City and state records point in different directions, and both are reported here.
Aug. 25 vote (official): The council untabled a zoning amendment to allow "micro-data centers" by Special Use Permit and passed a motion to reject it, 4 ayes, 0 nays and 1 abstention (Councilmember Mike Butler). It took no action on EG AI's SUP or tax abatement items. The city posts these minutes under the file name "09.15.2026_Regular_Meeting" (Rice minutes). The NavCo Chronicle reported the denial as unanimous and wrote that it "seemingly stops" the project (NavCo Chronicle).
Sept. 15 agenda (official): A special meeting agenda listed Ordinance No. 576-2026-09 (the micro-data center zoning amendment) and Ordinance No. 577-2026-09 (EG AI's SUP) (Rice agenda). No Sept. 15 minutes had been posted on ricetx.gov as of Oct. 12, 2026, so the outcome isn't known; a Sept. 24 agenda lists approval of the Sept. 15 special meeting minutes on its consent agenda (Rice agenda).
State filing (official): On Oct. 5, 2026, a new 8,599 sq ft data center building at 800 NW McKinney St was registered with TDLR, owner EG AI Corp, at an estimated $5M, with a Nov. 6, 2026 start and an Apr. 30, 2028 completion (TDLR). A TDLR registration is an accessibility filing, not a zoning approval, and no source Texas Data Center Watch has opened explains how it relates to the council's actions.
Size figures: The city's proposed "Micro-Data Center" use caps computer floor space at 5,000 sq ft (with under $200M investment or under 40 server racks, and 5 MW or less) (Rice minutes; Rice agenda packet). TDLR's 8,599 sq ft is a building size. No opened source reconciles the two.
Abatement: EG AI's tax abatement application in the city's Aug. 13 packet gives an estimated tax value schedule totaling $212M, including $205M of furniture, fixtures and equipment, and about 25 initial full-time jobs (company application; it is on a City of Corsicana form dated Mar. 18, 2026) (Rice agenda packet). The Oct. 8, 2026 council agenda listed a closed executive session on entering into a tax abatement agreement with EG-AI Corp for the site, followed by "Action taken, if any"; as of Oct. 12 no Oct. 8 minutes or later agenda had been posted, so no action is known (Rice agenda).
Residents raised concerns about community impact, resource use and the power grid at several town halls (NavCo Chronicle).
Added since the Oct. 16 page update:
- Riot Corsicana campus (Project Ditto data center), Corsicana (6980 FM 709, per TDLR): listed as operating (bitcoin mining); data center registered (TDLR). Developer, per the tracker: Riot Platforms, Inc. (riotplatforms.com · TDLR TABS).
Note: "registered" means a state accessibility (TDLR) building registration, not an environmental permit or local approval.
Tracked projects
| Project | Developer | Status | Capacity / size | Investment | Key dates | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EG AI Rice micro data center, Rice | EG AI Corp | Registered (TDLR); city zoning amendment rejected Aug 25 (minutes); reconsideration on Sep 15 agenda, outcome not posted as of Oct 12 | New 8,599 sq ft data center building (TDLR). The city's proposed "Micro-Data Center" use is defined as a maximum of 5,000 sq ft of computer floor space, under $200M investment or under 40 server racks, and 5 MW or less (Rice minutes and agenda packet, official). TDLR gives a building size; the city figure caps computer floor space; no opened source reconciles the two | Est. $5M (TDLR). EG AI's tax abatement application in the city's Aug 13 2026 packet gives an estimated tax value schedule totaling $212M, including $205M of furniture, fixtures and equipment, and about 25 initial full-time jobs; the application is on a City of Corsicana form dated Mar 18 2026 (company application) | Aug 13 2026 the zoning amendment, EG AI's SUP application for 5.284 acres at 800 NW McKinney St and a tax abatement were tabled (as stated in the Aug 25 minutes) · Aug 25 2026 work session discussed the amendment and SUP · in the special meeting the council untabled the amendment and passed a motion to reject it, 4 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstention (Mike Butler), and took no action on the SUP or the tax abatement items (minutes, official · the city posts these minutes under the file name 09.15.2026_Regular_Meeting). NavCo Chronicle reported the denial as unanimous and said it "seemingly stops" the project (news, Sep 7 2026) · Sep 15 2026 special meeting agenda lists Ordinance No. 576-2026-09 (the micro-data center zoning amendment) and Ordinance No. 577-2026-09 (EG AI's SUP) (agenda, official) · no Sep 15 minutes were posted on ricetx.gov as of Oct 12, so the outcome is not known · the Sep 24 2026 special meeting agenda lists approval of the Sep 15 special meeting minutes on its consent agenda (agenda, official) · Oct 5 2026 TDLR registration for a new data center building at 800 NW McKinney St, start Nov 6 2026, completion Apr 30 2028 (TDLR) · Oct 8 2026 council agenda lists an executive session on entering into a tax abatement agreement with EG-AI Corp for the site (agenda, official) · as of Oct 12 no Oct 8 minutes or later council agenda were posted, so no action after the executive session is known (the Oct 8 P&Z agenda has no EG AI item). No opened source explains how the TDLR filing relates to the council's actions | TDLR TABS · NavCo Chronicle · Rice minutes · Rice agenda 1 · Rice agenda 2 · Rice agenda packet · Rice agenda 3 |
| Riot Corsicana campus (Project Ditto data center), Corsicana (6980 FM 709, per TDLR) | Riot Platforms, Inc. | Operating (bitcoin mining); data center registered (TDLR) | 1 GW total planned capacity, direct 345 kV transmission interconnection; development underway for a 168 MW core & shell building (Riot). Project Ditto: new 2-story, 335,428 sq ft data center (TDLR) | Project Ditto est. $400M (TDLR) | Construction began 2023, operational by 2024 (Riot) · May 13 2026 TDLR registration 'Project Ditto', facility 'Riot Platforms Corsicana Data Center', start Apr 27 2026, completion May 19 2028, status Project Registered (TDLR detail page re-checked Oct 18 2026 after TABS maintenance: all fields confirmed · owner Riot Platforms, Inc., Castle Rock, CO) | riotplatforms.com · TDLR TABS |
Recorded benefits and concerns (EG AI Rice micro data center):
- Concerns: Residents raised concerns about community impact, resource use and the power grid at several town halls (NavCo Chronicle)
Sources for each project are linked in the table. Figures labeled "company" come from the developer.
Record timeline
| Date | Type | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 8, 2026 | City council | Agenda: executive session on EG-AI Corp tax abatement agreement for 800 NW McKinney St; no later action posted as of Oct 12. | Rice agenda |
| Oct 5, 2026 | Building registration (TDLR) | TDLR TABS: 'EG AI Rice Campus Data Center', new 8,599 sq ft building, est. $5M, 800 NW McKinney St, Rice; owner EG AI Corp. | TDLR TABS |
| Sep 15, 2026 | City council | Special meeting agenda lists Ordinances 576-2026-09 (micro-data center zoning) and 577-2026-09 (EG AI SUP); minutes not posted as of Oct 12. | Rice agenda |
| Sep 7, 2026 | News | NavCo Chronicle: Rice City Council unanimously denied (Aug 25) a zoning amendment to allow EGAI's proposed micro data center. | NavCo Chronicle |
| Aug 25, 2026 | City council | Minutes (posted as file '09.15.2026_Regular_Meeting'): council votes 4-0, one abstention, to reject micro-data center zoning amendment. | Rice minutes |
| May 13, 2026 | Building registration (TDLR) | TDLR: 'Project Ditto', Riot Platforms Corsicana Data Center, 335,428 sq ft, est. $400M, completion May 2028; start Apr 27 2026; owner Riot Platforms, Inc. (verified on the TDLR page Oct 18). | TDLR TABS |
What's next
These dates come from the tracker. Texas Data Center Watch has no recorded upcoming Navarro County hearings or votes on data centers.
- 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 Navarro County has a pending TCEQ permit.
- Nov. 6, 2026: Start date listed in the TDLR registration (TDLR).
Frequently asked questions
What data center projects are tracked in Navarro County, Texas? Two: EG AI Rice micro data center in Rice, listed as registered (TDLR); city zoning amendment rejected Aug 25 (minutes); reconsideration on Sep 15 agenda, outcome not posted as of Oct 12; Riot Corsicana campus (Project Ditto data center) in Corsicana (6980 FM 709, per TDLR), listed as operating (bitcoin mining); data center registered (TDLR).
Did Rice approve the EG AI data center? No approval is recorded. On Aug. 25, 2026, the council voted 4-0, with one abstention, to reject the micro-data center zoning amendment (Rice minutes); the NavCo Chronicle described it as unanimous (NavCo Chronicle). The zoning amendment and EG AI's SUP were back on a Sept. 15 agenda, but no minutes have been posted, so that outcome isn't known (Rice agenda).
Why is there a state filing if the zoning was rejected? No opened source explains it. TDLR registered an 8,599 sq ft, $5M building at the site on Oct. 5, 2026 (TDLR); a TDLR registration is not a zoning approval.
Is Rice considering a tax abatement for EG AI? The Oct. 8, 2026 agenda lists an executive session on entering into a tax abatement agreement with EG-AI Corp (Rice agenda). No abatement has been approved in the records tracked.
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