AmpZ Champion AI data center (old Southland Paper Mill, near Lufkin)
Also called: Amp Z data center
A Denver company wants to build a huge AI data center on more than 1,000 acres where a paper mill used to be, outside Lufkin. It says it would invest about $1 billion and create 30 full-time jobs. The county judge says Texas law gives the county no power to stop it, but a tax break deal could add rules like noise limits.
Where things stand: Company asked the county for a tax break. No power deal with Oncor yet and no building work as of July 2026.
🕒 Latest update (Aug 25, 2026): Commissioners hired a law firm to help write tax break deals for data centers.
What we know
- 📍 WhereOld Southland Paper Mill site on State Highway 103 East, outside Lufkin city limits, Unincorporated Angelina County, Angelina County
- 🏢 CompanyAmpZ Champion Data Center Holdings LLC (Denver)
- 🌳 Size1,000 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs2,100 megawatts (about as much as 1,680,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromWould need a power deal with Oncor; company says it focuses on renewable power.
- ❄️ Coolingclosed-loop cooling (company claim)
- 💵 Cost$1 billion
- 💸 Tax breaksCompany filed an early request for a county tax break (abatement). In Aug. 2026 the county hired a law firm to write the deal.
- 👷 Jobs promised30
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- How much power will it use? One report says 2.1 gigawatts. 🙋 I'll find out
- Has Oncor agreed to supply power? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will the county approve a tax break, and with what rules (noise, buffers, cleanup bond)? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water will it use each day? 🙋 I'll find out
- Was a secret deal (NDA) signed with any official? 🙋 I'll find out
🔎 What we checked
- Oct 7, 2026: We checked the site location: approximate location found.
What happened so far
- Feb 6, 2026Plans for a 2.1-gigawatt campus on about 1,041 acres of the old paper mill site were reported.
- June 9, 2026Dozens of residents spoke against the project at the Angelina County Commissioners Court.
- Aug 25, 2026Commissioners hired a law firm to help write tax break deals for data centers.
Local votes and rules
📌 Other
Angelina County commissioners unanimously passed Resolution 010-26, asking the Legislature to give counties some power over large data centers and battery sites: setbacks, noise and light limits, water impact statements, safety plans, public hearings and tree screening. Several data centers are proposed in the county, including two along Highway 103.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Multi-gigawatt data center campus planned in East Texas · Baxtel · Feb 6, 2026
- East Texas data center gets community pushback · The Texas Tribune · June 9, 2026
- A data center proposed at a quiet corner of East Texas leaves a community bracing for a boom · The Texas Tribune via KSAT · July 9, 2026
- Second AI data center in Angelina County already ahead of Amp Z · KLTV · July 9, 2026
- Angelina County hires law firm for data center tax deals · KLTV · Aug 25, 2026
- EPA ECHO facility report: LUFKIN PAPER MILL · U.S. EPA · Oct 7, 2026
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