New Era Energy & Digital (NASDAQ:NUAI) Chairman and CEO Will Gray spoke with Proactive about the company’s progress as it moves into Phase 2 of its Texas Critical Data Center project.
Gray explained that the company currently owns 235 acres in Texas through its joint venture with SHARON AI, with an additional 203 acres under option to close within 90 days. Once completed, the site will total 438 acres, with plans to scale the facility up to one gigawatt and beyond.
Discussing the next steps, Gray said Phase 2 involves site clearing, environmental work, and design planning with an engineering partner to develop a potential powered shell data center.
He explained that this model could provide “a more constant revenue stream” compared with powered land sales.
Gray also highlighted the advantages of the site’s location in an attainment zone, allowing up to 250 tons of emissions per year, compared with much stricter limits in non-attainment zones. He said this helps speed up the permitting process and supports larger-scale power delivery.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2026, marking a key milestone for the company’s expansion.
Proactive: Welcome back inside our Proactive newsroom. Joining me now is Will Gray, the CEO of New Era Energy & Digital. Exciting news from the company — you and I recently talked about the completion of phase one and now phase two is getting underway at your Texas critical data center. Let’s remind everyone about the data center and what phase two looks like.
Will Gray: Sure. We’ve acquired 235 acres that we own and operate through our joint venture with SHARON AI under Texas Critical Data Centers. We also have an option to close on an additional 203 acres within the next 60 to 90 days, once we wrap up some environmental studies.
That will give us a total of 438 acres. Our goal is to scale this project up to one gigawatt and beyond, using what’s known as behind-the-meter power generation, with the potential to add grid power later.
So what does phase two involve?
Phase two is already underway. We’re preparing for site clearing — focusing on runoff water, storage drains, and other groundwork to get the land build-ready. We’re also working with an engineering firm to design and build a potential data center. We’re considering a “powered shell” model, which would allow us to lease the facility to hyperscalers. That approach provides a more consistent revenue stream compared with powered land sales, which tend to create chunkier, less predictable revenues.
Are there lessons you’ve drawn from other projects that help you make faster decisions?
Absolutely. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. We’ve looked closely at what’s been done elsewhere — what works and what doesn’t. For us, it’s all about speed to power and power to energy, which is exactly what our customers want. There’s massive demand for data centers everywhere, and by focusing on behind-the-meter power generation, we can control our own destiny.
And you’re still on track for beginning construction in early 2026?
Yes, that’s the plan. Right now, the land is still raw, but we’re working on applications to include it as an industrial district with the City of Odessa. The site sits just outside city limits, in Ector County.
One of our key differentiators is that we’re in an attainment zone. That means we can emit up to 250 tons per year, compared with just 50 to 100 in non-attainment areas, which makes permitting faster and allows us to deliver more power to customers.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and style