Data centers use lots of water and power, but Texas officials don’t know exactly how much

That gap matters for the South Plains, where drought conditions already put pressure on water supplies. Data centers need huge amounts of electricity to run their servers and water to keep them cool, and state officials are still trying to pin down the real impact on the grid and on regional water supplies.

Lubbock sits in a part of the state where water is already a sensitive subject. Farmers, ranchers, and city residents all draw from the same stressed supply. Any new industry that uses large volumes of water draws scrutiny fast, and without accurate tracking from the state, local leaders are left guessing about what a new project could mean for tap water and electric bills.

For regular people here, the concern is straightforward. Nobody currently has a reliable way to say how much strain a new data center would put on local water systems or the power grid, which makes it harder for cities and utilities to plan ahead, and harder for residents to know what to expect.

Texas wants to be a hub for data centers, but no one can yet say what that boom will cost in water and power.