Articles · Power and land
Brownsville let the land go, and Starbase hears SpaceX's tax abatement December 9th
Brownsville let SpaceX's land go in August. Starbase now hears a tax abatement for a gas-fired power plant and super-compute facility there on December 9th.
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The City of Starbase has given notice that its City Commission will meet in public session on December 9th, 2026 at 48491 State Highway 4. The commission will consider a property tax abatement under Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code. It will also consider a related economic development agreement under Chapter 380 of the Local Government Code. The applicant and property owner is Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
The notice describes a gas-fired power plant and super-compute facility that SpaceX proposes to construct, own and operate. It estimates capital investment for the initial phases at approximately $24, built in multiple phases with possible future expansions. The public is invited to attend and be heard.
The land changed cities first
The notice places the site inside Starbase's corporate limits, on an approximately 444 acre tract just east of Brownsville between Boca Chica Blvd and the Port of Brownsville. It says the project would sit in the Cameron County Enterprise Zone, which it treats as a reinvestment zone for the abatement.
The Texas Tribune reported on August 31st, 2026 that Brownsville commissioners voted unanimously at a weekend special meeting to de-annex the land. SpaceX agreed in exchange to give Brownsville up to $220 for water and wastewater projects, the Tribune reported. Sheila McCorkle, a SpaceX vice president, told commissioners the company sought de-annexation because the city provided no services to the area. She said the deal would be off the table unless it was approved that day. Starbase later annexed the land.
A Brownsville resident, Uriel Gavito, asked at the meeting why the city was rushing and why it was meeting on a Saturday. Brownsville said in a statement that it stood by the decision, based on the information and circumstances presented at the time.
A pause the tract sits outside
The Tribune reported on November 10th, 2026 that Brownsville's 90 day moratorium on data center applications in the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction had taken effect the week before. Its account says the SpaceX project circumvents that moratorium. The notice itself does not mention the moratorium, and Brownsville's own page on it refused an automated fetch, so this account rests on the Tribune.
The Tribune reports the planned gas-fired plant could power the data center so that it avoids connecting to the state grid. It also reports that Governor Greg Abbott directed grid operators in August to pause data center connection requests until the data centers could be audited. Some data centers could still go ahead by supplying their own electricity, the Tribune reports. Whether this site will connect to ERCOT is not established by any document in this record.
What the December hearing decides, and what is still missing
The commission meets to consider the agreements. Nothing has been approved. No plat, site plan, turbine count, water demand or building design appears in the notice. SpaceX did not answer the Tribune's questions about the project.
The South Texas Environmental Justice Network announced a protest and argued the facilities would pollute the air, use up water and raise residents' energy bills. A Brownsville teacher, Janie Melendez, told the Tribune many people in the community need jobs and that SpaceX has contributed to those jobs.
Sources for this story
- City of Starbase, Notice of Public Hearing on a tax abatement agreement with SpaceX, December 9th
- The Texas Tribune, SpaceX plans $24 billion data center and power plant near Brownsville
- The Texas Tribune, SpaceX to fund up to $220M in Brownsville water projects in exchange for land
Claim-by-claim verification · 23 claims
The City of Starbase hearing notice describes the project as a gas-fired power plant and super-compute facility that SpaceX proposes to construct, own and operate.
SpaceX proposes to construct, own, and operate a gas-fired power plant and super-compute facility.
The notice estimates capital investment for the project's initial phases at approximately $24 billion and says the project may be built in multiple phases and include future expansions.
Estimated capital investment for initial phases of the project is approximately $24 billion, which may be constructed over multiple phases and include future expansions.
The notice places the site inside the corporate limits of the City of Starbase in Cameron County. It describes an approximately 444-acre tract just east of Brownsville between Boca Chica Blvd and the Port of Brownsville.
The proposed project site is located within the corporate limits of the City of Starbase, in Cameron County, Texas, and consists of an approximately 444-acre tract just east of the City of Brownsville, between Boca Chica Blvd and the Port of Brownsville,
The Starbase City Commission is scheduled to meet in public session on Wednesday, December 9th, 2026, at 48491 State Highway 4 in Starbase.
will convene in public session at its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, December 9, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at 48491 State Highway 4, Starbase, Texas 78521,
The notice says the commission will consider approval of a property tax abatement agreement under Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code. It will also consider a related economic development agreement under Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code.
the City Commission will consider approval of a property tax abatement agreement under Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code, and a related economic development agreement under Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code,
The notice names Space Exploration Technologies Corp., a Texas corporation, as the property owner and the applicant for the tax abatement agreement.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., a Texas corporation (“SpaceX”).
The notice invites the public to attend the December meeting and speak on the proposed agreements.
Interested persons are invited to attend the meeting and to be heard on the proposed agreements.
The notice says the project would be built in the Cameron County Enterprise Zone. It treats that zone as a reinvestment zone for purposes of Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code.
The project would be constructed in the Cameron County Enterprise Zone, which under Tex. Tax Code § 312.2011 constitutes designation as a reinvestment zone for purposes of Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code.
The Texas Tribune reported on November 10th, 2026 that SpaceX plans a $24 billion data center and power plant outside Brownsville. The Tribune says the land was de-annexed by the city earlier in the year at the company's request, which circumvents Brownsville's data center moratorium.
SpaceX is planning to build a $24 billion data center and power plant just outside of Brownsville on property that the city had just de-annexed earlier this year at the company’s request, circumventing Brownsville’s data center moratorium that went into effect last week.
The Tribune reports that Starbase later annexed the land where the project will be built into its city limits.
the city of Starbase, which later annexed land where the project will be built into their city limits,
The Tribune reports that the planned gas-fired plant could power the data center and let it avoid connecting to the state's power grid.
The gas-fired power plant that SpaceX plans to build could provide power to its data center to avoid connecting to the state’s power grid.
The Tribune reports that SpaceX did not answer its questions about the project.
SpaceX did not respond to questions regarding the project.
The Tribune reported on November 10th, 2026 that a Brownsville 90-day moratorium on data center applications within the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction had taken effect the previous week.
Brownsville approved its own 90-day moratorium which went into effect last week, temporarily hitting pause on data center applications within the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction.
The Tribune reported on August 31st, 2026 that Brownsville city commissioners voted unanimously at a weekend special meeting to de-annex the land, which sits near the Port of Brownsville.
During a special meeting over the weekend that lasted six hours, Brownsville city commissioners unanimously voted to de-annex the land, which is located near the Port of Brownsville.
The Tribune reports that in exchange SpaceX agreed to give Brownsville up to $220 million for water and wastewater projects.
In exchange, SpaceX agreed to give the city up to $220 million for water and wastewater projects.
The Tribune reports that McCorkle told commissioners the deal would be off the table unless they approved it that same day.
If commissioners didn’t approve the deal that very day, McCorkle said the deal would be off the table.
The Tribune reports that Brownsville said in a statement it stood by the de-annexation, which it said was based on the information and circumstances presented at the time.
The city of Brownsville said it stood by its decision to de-annex the property, which was based on “information and circumstances presented at the time,” the city said in a statement.
The Tribune reports that Governor Greg Abbott directed operators of the electric grid in August to pause requests for data center grid connections until the data centers could be audited.
Gov. Greg Abbott directed operators of the electric grid in August to pause requests for data center connections to the grid until the data centers could be audited.
The Tribune reports that not every data center relies on the state's power grid and that some could still go ahead by supplying their own electricity.
However, not all data centers rely on the state’s power grid and therefore could still move forward by supplying their own electricity.
The Tribune reports that Sheila McCorkle is SpaceX's vice president for Starship legal and regulatory issues. She told Brownsville commissioners the company sought de-annexation because the city was not providing any services to the area.
Sheila McCorkle, SpaceX’s vice president for Starship legal and regulatory issues, told the commissioners during Saturday’s meeting that the company sought deannexation because the city was not providing any services to the area.
The Tribune reports that Brownsville resident Uriel Gavito asked at the meeting why the city was rushing and why it was meeting on a Saturday.
“Why are we rushing this? Why are we here on a Saturday?” said Uriel Gavito, a Brownsville resident.
The Tribune reports that the South Texas Environmental Justice Network announced a protest against the project. The group argued the facilities would pollute the air, use up water and raise residents' energy bills.
In response to the news, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, announced a protest against the project, arguing that the new facilities would pollute the air, use up water and increase energy bills for residents.
The Tribune quotes Janie Melendez, a Brownsville resident and school teacher, saying many people in the community need jobs and SpaceX has contributed to those jobs.
“There’s a lot of people that need jobs in our community and SpaceX has contributed to those jobs,” said Janie Melendez, a Brownsville resident and school teacher.