Texas Approves 7.65 GW Air Permit for Pacifico Energy’s AI Power Campus
Power infrastructure developer Pacifico Energy has cleared a regulatory hurdle for its planned GW Ranch development in West Texas that covers up to 7.65 gigawatts of capacity for AI data centers.
The permit, granted by the state environmental regulator, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, authorizes construction and operation of what Pacifico says would be the largest permitted gas power project in the U.S.
The approval satisfies state and federal air-quality requirements and allows the company to move forward with development of the privately operated power campus in Pecos County.
GW Ranch is designed as a private-grid power generation site intended to serve hyperscale data centers and AI workloads. Unlike traditional power plants, the project is being developed without a connection to the broader electricity grid, allowing customers to source power directly from on-site generation without drawing from the Texas grid operated by ERCOT.
According to Pacifico, the project’s full buildout would include 7.65 GW of natural gas generation, 1.8 GW of battery energy storage and 750 megawatts of solar capacity. Phase 1 is planned at 1 GW, with first power targeted for the first half of 2027. The company expects capacity to scale beyond 5 GW through subsequent phases into the early 2030s.
The campus spans more than 8,000 acres and is located within the Permian Basin, providing access to nearby natural gas supply. Pacifico says the site will be served by multiple gas laterals, including a dedicated pipeline connection to the Waha hub, and will not require new transmission lines because power is generated and consumed on-site.
Developers have increasingly pitched off-grid or private-grid projects as a way to accommodate large data center loads without adding strain to regional power systems or raising costs for other customers. Pacifico says GW Ranch’s design is intended to insulate Texas ratepayers from rising electricity demand tied to AI and cloud computing.
In addition to its energy infrastructure, the company says the project is expected to generate thousands of construction jobs and several hundred permanent positions once operational, while contributing tax revenue to the local area.
With the air permit secured, Pacifico said GW Ranch has completed a key regulatory step toward construction, positioning the site as a potential power source for large-scale AI and data center customers seeking long-term, high-availability energy outside the public grid.
