Project News / Data Center
Amazon Confirms Site Preparation Under Way for Data Center Campus Beside Comanche Peak
The company expects at least 550 full-time jobs at the Somervell County campus, which would draw cooling water from Vistra's Comanche Creek reservoir.
Amazon has confirmed that site preparation is under way for its proposed data-center campus on Vistra-owned land next to the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant near Glen Rose, according to a Nov. 5 company announcement.
Amazon said it expects the campus to support at least 550 full-time jobs, along with thousands of construction jobs across a phased development.
The announcement also outlined the campus's water arrangements. Cooling water would come from the Comanche Creek reservoir under existing Vistra surface-water rights leased to Amazon. Domestic water would be supplied by the Somervell County Water District.
Amazon said the campus's projected water use would be less than 2% of Vistra's existing water rights at the location.
The announcement follows earlier coverage of the 1.2-gigawatt power arrangement between Amazon and Vistra at Comanche Peak. Texas Construction Hub reported Nov. 3 that Public Utility Commission staff had recommended approval of that deal. A final commission order had not been confirmed as of this report.
Amazon did not disclose a construction budget or a building-by-building delivery schedule. The general contractor and the civil, electrical and mechanical contractors for the campus have not been identified.
A Power Agreement With a Separate Delivery Schedule
The project builds on a power purchase agreement announced in September 2025. In its second-quarter 2026 SEC filing, Vistra described a 20-year agreement to supply AWS with 1,200 megawatts, with options for as much as 20 additional years. Vistra expected initial deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2027, increasing to full contracted capacity by 2032.
Those dates concern electricity deliveries. They do not establish the completion date of every data hall, the timing of tenant equipment installation or the award of individual construction packages. A campus built in stages can have separate milestones for earthwork, utility connections, buildings and commissioning.
For construction firms, the distinction matters: confirmation that site preparation has begun establishes activity on the ground, while the larger electrical and building program still needs its own disclosed schedule. The current announcement does not identify which packages have been awarded or remain available.
Cooling Infrastructure and Water Commitments
Amazon says its regional cooling approach uses outside air for roughly 84% of the year and water during the hottest periods. It also describes a roughly $3.75 million irrigation-efficiency partnership with Arable in the Brazos River Basin, forecast to replenish more than 330 million gallons annually once fully implemented.
The irrigation program is a separate company commitment. It is not the construction budget for the data center, a substitute for a water permit, or a measured result from an operating Glen Rose campus. The plant-side cooling supply and domestic services also serve different purposes and should be assessed separately.
Reservoir water, cooling equipment, treatment and reuse systems must work as a coordinated system as capacity is added. That makes the eventual operating design relevant to both the civil works and the mechanical scope. Amazon has not published a trade-by-trade procurement schedule in this announcement.
What the Employment Forecast Means Locally
The expected permanent positions and temporary construction employment describe two different parts of the project’s economic contribution. Permanent roles would support an operating campus; construction labor would be needed as successive stages are delivered. The company has not broken the construction estimate into annual employment, peak staffing or individual trades.
A phased program can create demand for site contractors, utility specialists, building trades and equipment commissioning at different times. Local suppliers may also compete for supporting services. These are the types of work associated with delivering a data center, rather than a list of announced contracts or a promise that a particular firm will receive work.
No disclosed campus budget accompanies the jobs forecast. It would be misleading to turn the 1.2-gigawatt power agreement into a dollar construction estimate or treat the wider economic benefit as booked local revenue. A detailed development schedule and confirmed procurement notices would give businesses a firmer basis for planning.
The Next Construction Milestones
The most useful next disclosures would identify the initial buildings and their scope, the design and construction team, and how the first operating phase connects to the planned power-delivery ramp. Separately, the final regulatory order in the power docket would clarify the conditions under which that arrangement can operate.
Until those records are available, the project can be described as an Amazon campus with site preparation confirmed by the developer, supported by an announced long-term power agreement. Building completion dates, individual contract values and an operating date for the entire campus remain separate questions.
