Bilateral Energy 'Project Patriot' power plant and data center campus (Knox Ranch, Granbury)
Also called: Project Patriot, Project Horizon, Knox Ranch
Bilateral Energy plans a power plant and data center campus on about 2,000 acres of former ranch land along Meadow Wood Road, south of U.S. 377. The state air agency approved a permit in 2025 for 8 gas turbines and 87 generators. Granbury annexed and rezoned the land; residents sued, saying the city broke open meetings law, and filed a recall petition.
Where things stand: Granbury annexed the land in Jan. 2026 and rezoned it for industry in April 2026; residents sued and started a recall.
🕒 Latest update (July 13, 2026): Residents filed petitions to recall the mayor and most council members.
What we know
- 📍 WhereMeadow Wood Road between U.S. 377 and Paluxy Highway (former Knox Ranch), Granbury, Hood County
- 🏢 CompanyBilateral Energy LLC
- 🌳 Size2,000 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs1,200 megawatts (about as much as 960,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromIts own gas power plant: 8 simple-cycle turbines and 87 linear generators (TCEQ permit, 2025)
- 👷 Jobs promised60
- 🤐 Secret deal (NDA)Yes. A Granbury economic development official told county commissioners in July 2025 that she was under a secret deal (NDA) and could not answer questions.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Who is the data center tenant? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water will the campus use, and from where? 🙋 I'll find out
- How did the lawsuit over the annexation turn out? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will a recall election be held? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- 2025TCEQ approved an air permit for 8 simple-cycle turbines and 87 linear generators at 1225 Meadow Wood Road.
- July 8, 2025'Project Patriot' appeared on a Hood County agenda; a city official said she was under a secret deal (NDA).
- Jan 6, 2026Granbury City Council annexed the land.
- April 6, 2026Residents sued the city, claiming Open Meetings Act violations.
- April 7, 2026City Council rezoned about 2,000 acres for industrial use, allowing power plants and data centers.
- July 13, 2026Residents filed petitions to recall the mayor and most council members.
Local votes and rules
⚖️ Court case
Two developers, National CRE Holdings LLC and Greenland Capital LLC, sued Hood County, saying their data center campuses (Project Red and Project Yellow) should be approved automatically because the county missed a 30-day deadline. A district judge threw out the case for good, ruling the projects were not 'development plans' under state law. The companies said they would appeal.
✅ Approved
Hood County commissioners voted 3-1 to approve, without conditions, the concept plan for the Comanche Circle data center, a 2,100-acre campus planned by Sailfish near Tolar. The county had given it conditional approval in January 2026. The developer had threatened to sue. Next comes a site plan review covering drainage, water, wastewater and environmental studies.
✋ Turned down
Hood County commissioners voted 3-2 to reject the concept plan for Fort Spunky, a data center and power plant project by Pacifico Energy. The plan lacked key details, such as where its water would come from. Earlier, the Acton Municipal Utility District board voted to deny water service to the project.
📜 Data center rules
Hood County commissioners passed stricter development permit rules for large industrial projects such as AI data centers, crypto mines and power plants. Texas counties cannot zone land, so these rules work through the county's development permit process.
✋ Turned down
Hood County commissioners voted 3-2 against a six-month pause on new large industrial projects, including data centers. During the meeting, a state senator's letter to the Attorney General argued that Texas counties do not have the power to pass such pauses. At least four data centers were proposed in the county. A second try at a pause also failed.
✅ Approved
Hood County commissioners gave conditional approval to the concept plan for the Comanche Circle data center, a 2,100-acre campus that could use up to 3 gigawatts of power.
📌 Other
Hood County commissioners voted 3-1 for a letter of support for 'Project Patriot', which was later revealed to be a data center. The site was later annexed into the City of Granbury.
Drag the slider to compare the land before and now.
Where this comes from
- Inside the Granbury data center revolt: recalls, lawsuits and Texas Rangers · Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Yahoo News) · July 17, 2026
- Eight data centers threaten to transform this small Texas county. Local officials say they have no power to stop them. · The Texas Tribune · June 2, 2026
- Texas data centers map and list · Cleanview (tracker) · Oct 2026
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