SpaceX is proposing a supercomputing center paired with a gas-fired power plant in Starbase, near Brownsville, Texas. The Texas Tribune reported the proposal on November 10, 2026, in a story republished by KVUE, putting the estimated investment for the initial phases at $24 billion, with possible expansion later.
The site’s city boundaries matter
The proposed facility would sit on a 444.45-acre tract near the Port of Brownsville. SpaceX asked Brownsville to de-annex the land and offered $220 million for the city’s water and wastewater projects; Brownsville agreed, and Starbase later annexed the tract, according to the Tribune report republished by KVUE.
Brownsville’s 90-day data-center moratorium took effect the week before that report. The tract was outside the moratorium’s jurisdiction after Starbase annexed it.
The jurisdictional change matters here: Brownsville’s moratorium did not cover the tract after Starbase annexed it.
The reported gas-plant design
RGV Business Journal reported that Trinity Consultants filed an air-permit application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on SpaceX’s behalf. The proposed design described in the outlet’s report includes 35 natural-gas turbines with a combined stated capacity of 748 megawatts.
The on-site plant could supply power to the data center and avoid a connection to the Texas grid, according to the Tribune report. That makes power generation part of the proposed site itself, alongside the computing facility.
Local concerns and potential benefits
The South Texas Environmental Justice Network announced a protest and raised concerns about air pollution, water use, and energy bills. Brownsville resident and schoolteacher Janie Melendez described jobs as a potential local benefit, saying SpaceX had contributed to employment in the area. Both positions were reported by The Texas Tribune.
