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(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Headwaters Site Development Senior Project Development Manager Curtis Miller (at right) answers questions during a meeting held by Concerned Citizens of Young County regarding a data center.
The public will have a chance to learn more about a proposed data center project in Young County after Stream Data Centers and Headwaters Site Development make their first public meeting appearance this week.
The data center Project Saltworks is proposed on 867 acres of land between FM 61 and FM 209. The project will support up to 15 data center buildings, substations and on-site infrastructure that the company said will be set back from property lines and local residences.
The company is on the agenda to have a presentation during the Graham City Council meeting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 4.
An online resource from the company with information about the project was also recently launched at projectsaltworks.com.
Along with the data center company, the city council will hear a presentation Thursday, Dec. 4 from City Manager Eric Garretty in response to questions about the city’s agreements with Plug Power and participation in a possible data center project in Young County.
In February 2025, Young County Judge Win Graham connected the company Stream Data Centers with representatives of Plug Power to explore potential partnership opportunities between the two companies.
Plug Power provides electrolyzers, liquid hydrogen, fuel cell systems, storage tanks and fueling infrastructure to industries such as material handling, industrial applications and energy producers.
Project Limestone in Young County was proposed to be a hydrogen production facility located along FM 209 on a 40-acre site that would produce 45 tons per day of hydrogen from water using renewable energy sources.
Plug Power announced in a release Monday, Nov. 10 that they were suspending the Young County project. The company signed a non-binding letter of intent to monetize its electricity rights in New York and one other undisclosed location and collaborate with a data center developer.
The city council entered into executive session Thursday, Nov. 20 with the city’s attorneys to discuss the legal ramifications of Plug Power’s decision to suspend the build of the hydrogen generation plant.
Following the executive session, no action was taken, but a statement was provided by the city manager at the beginning of the meeting regarding the decision from Plug Power.
Garretty said the company was suspending their build of the project in Young County and pursuing an alternative program in partnership with a data center.
The city manager said the city was provided no prior notice of suspension of the project or the company’s new direction.
“I want to emphasize that the city of Graham received no advance notification that Plug Power was suspending construction of the plant and no advance notification... that they were working with multiple data centers,” Garretty said.
Through reimbursements that have been paid to the city of Graham, Plug Power is funding a reclaimed water line from the city’s wastewater treatment plant to flow to their proposed hydrogen plant.
On the same day the statement was released from Plug Power regarding the suspension, the city manager issued a formal stop work order for all vendors working on the water reuse line and pump station project connected to Project Limestone.
Garretty said a Plug Power representative informed him that the company intends to honor their financial obligations on the agreement with the city regarding the water line between the project and the city’s wastewater treatment facility.
In a post Saturday, Nov. 22, the county judge said he met with representatives from the city of Graham, Graham Regional Medical Center, Olney Hamilton Hospital and Headwaters Site Development regarding developing data centers on land near the Graham County Club.
“At this meeting, Headwaters stated that they do not yet have an end-user identified, but are in discussions with major hyperscalers such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta,” Graham said. “They expect to identify an end-user by the end of 2026 and anticipate that construction could begin in 2027.”
The county judge said the estimated project completion would be between five and 10 years. He added that Headwaters Site Development also requested annexation into the city of Graham.
“This is particularly exciting for me because the project could generate much-needed revenue for the city to lower property taxes while funding major street repairs, replacing aging water infrastructure and updating the sewer plant, which is nearing the end of its useful life,” Graham said.
The data center developers have met with local groups such as the Graham Industrial Association and members of the Concerned Citizens of Young County opposition group regarding their proposed project.
The company is hosting a Lunch & Learn event to meet the Project Saltworks team from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4 at the Middle Sister in Graham. The company will be hosting other events as well in the future to speak with the public.
