Questions from the Community
Project Patriot is a next-generation digital infrastructure campus planned for Granbury, Texas. Developed by Bilateral Energy and partners, the project is designed to support the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and other digital technologies while prioritizing responsible development and long-term community partnership.
The proposed campus is designed as a self-sufficient development with on-site power generation, privately funded infrastructure, and advanced environmental controls designed to minimize impacts on local utilities and public resources. Throughout planning and development, Bilateral Energy recognizes that this project has generated significant community discussion in Granbury and Hood County. The questions below address the concerns residents have raised directly and in plain language. This FAQ document will be updated as the project progresses and new questions arise.
Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Project Patriot and the development process.
Project Overview
Project Patriot is a proposed next-generation digital infrastructure campus in Granbury, Texas. The campus is designed to support the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and other digital technologies that people and businesses rely on every day.
The project is being developed by Bilateral Energy and its partners with a focus on responsible planning, environmental stewardship, and long-term community partnership. Throughout the development process, the team is committed to providing transparent information, listening to community feedback, and working closely with local stakeholders.
Project Patriot will be built on approximately 2,000 acres at 2801 W US Highway 377, on the former Knox Ranch land. The campus accommodates a phased development plan while incorporating setbacks, greenbelts, landscaping, and other design features intended to minimize visual impacts while integrating with the surrounding area.
Demand for digital infrastructure continues to increase as needs from businesses, governments, schools, healthcare providers, and consumers increasingly rely on cloud computing, AI applications, online services, and secure data processing. As such, secure, domestically located computing capacity has become a matter of national security and economic competitiveness. Project Patriot is intended to help meet that growing demand while demonstrating that digital infrastructure can be developed responsibly through thoughtful planning, environmental stewardship, and ongoing community engagement.
Community Benefits & Partnership
Project Patriot is a long-term community partnership. Its primary contributions to Granbury come through a growing local tax base, opportunities for local businesses, economic growth through high-quality jobs, and privately funded infrastructure rather than costs borne by local residents. Specifically, Project Patriot creates tax revenue that is predictable for decades to come. This revenue means that significant community improvements can be planned and accelerated without requiring the burden to fall solely on residents. Our employees, who are engineers, electricians, welders, HVAC experts, data center operators, and managers, will be part of the Granbury community. Their families will not only contribute to the community with their taxes, but will also make Granbury their home. Much like the railroads and oil businesses in our history, data centers and the people who work there will be valuable contributors to the community.
Bilateral Energy privately funds the campus, including building and operations. That means the project pays its own way and supports responsible long-term growth while keeping its costs off public infrastructure and local taxpayers. The economic benefits are much larger than traditional industry because of the significant out-of-state revenue that is attracted to, and taxed, at the local level. Receiving the benefits of a global market is different than local or regional focused businesses. Project Patriot expands the tax base well beyond the city limits.
In addition to tax revenue and school funding, Bilateral Energy intends to establish a Community Benefit Fund to direct a portion of the project's revenues toward Granbury and Hood County priorities. The structure and funding levels of the Community Benefit Fund are being developed in coordination with local leaders and will be formalized as project planning progresses. Bilateral Energy commits to making the terms of the Community Benefit Fund publicly available once finalized. Residents and community organizations are encouraged to share their priorities through the project's website contact form.
Being a good neighbor means designing and operating the project in a way that respects the surrounding community.
For Project Patriot, that means designing the campus to run on its own utilities, building in noise and visual mitigation, communicating openly with residents, and providing project updates as development progresses. The project team will continue listening to community feedback and working collaboratively with local stakeholders throughout development.
Yes. Bilateral Energy is committed to participating in the Community Benefit Fund and to supporting local schools, STEM education, workforce development, and programs that introduce students to careers in the trades, digital infrastructure, and related technical fields.
On school funding specifically: under Texas's "recapture" system — often called Robin Hood — much of the local property-tax revenue a large project generates in a district like Granbury is sent to the state rather than kept by local schools. Project Patriot is being structured to direct funding to [Granbury ISD] through a negotiated local payment designed to stay in the community rather than be recaptured by the state — so local students, teachers, and schools keep more of the benefit than they typically would from a project of this size. Bilateral Energy also intends to apply for the state's JETI program, a standard economic-development incentive. Because the school district's funding is protected through Texas's school-finance system, participating in JETI does not reduce what local schools receive.
Beyond schools, a significant portion of the project's construction budget is expected to go to local businesses — real dollars into the pockets of local companies and the families they support. Electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, dirt work and excavation crews, cleaning services, landscapers, restaurants, and engineering firms all stand to benefit.
Crypto mining and data center operations of the past have relied on utilities (electricity, etc.) that were also used by the community. This has had a negative impact on rates and availability. By generating its own power, privately funding the infrastructure the campus needs, and carefully planning its environmental systems, Project Patriot can support future digital infrastructure needs while keeping demands on local public resources low.
Appearance & Site Design
Project Patriot has been designed with careful consideration for how it will appear within the surrounding community. The campus will incorporate landscaped buffers, berms (earth mounding), setbacks, and architectural screening intended to reduce visual impacts from nearby roads and neighboring properties. The campus will be housed within enclosed, clean, office-style buildings rather than open industrial facilities. While the campus is designed to be visually appealing, it is also designed to be discreet and buffered by vegetation and landscaping. Bilateral Energy and its partners will continue sharing renderings and visual materials to help residents better understand the appearance of the campus.
The project team has designed the campus to separate itself from the surrounding area using a natural green belt including a combination of landscaping, berms, setbacks, and site planning measures intended to minimize visibility from surrounding roadways and neighboring properties. This not only makes the campus discreet, but also minimizes light and noise.
Street-view renderings are currently being developed to provide residents with a better understanding of how the campus is expected to appear from key viewpoints around the site.
Power & Utility Impact
No. Project Patriot generates 100% of the electricity it needs on site, through a self-contained “islanded” power system. Because the campus produces its own power and operates independently of the regional electric grid, it places no additional demand on local electric infrastructure and has no effect on electricity reliability for residents.
An islanded power system is one that generates and uses its own electricity rather than relying on the public electric grid. This approach eliminates any reliance on existing utility infrastructure.
Bilateral Energy filed an interconnection request with ERCOT to preserve the option to send surplus electricity back to the regional grid in the future — adding supply that could benefit Texas ratepayers, particularly during periods of high demand. The campus generates all its own power on site for day-to-day operations, so the interconnection provides the ability to give power to the grid, not to draw power from it. Filing an interconnection request is a routine step in large infrastructure development, and it does not change the project’s self-generation design.
No. Because Project Patriot generates all its own power on site and privately funds its own infrastructure, it operates independently of the utility systems that determine local electric rates.
No. Project Patriot is designed to strengthen grid resilience, not strain it. The campus runs entirely on its own on-site generation and serves only itself, so during periods of grid stress — including extreme heat or cold — it draws nothing from ERCOT. And if Bilateral Energy pursues a grid interconnection in the future, it would be structured to add capacity to the grid, which could improve power availability for Texas homes during those events.
Water, Noise & Environment
Project Patriot is being designed to operate as a closed-loop water system that recirculates water on site and to run independently of the City of Granbury's municipal water supply, with the goal of maximizing water efficiency. We know water security is a deeply felt concern in Hood County. Bilateral Energy is working through those details in engineering now and is committed to sharing clear, accurate information as it becomes available.
Project Patriot is being designed to stand apart from the City of Granbury's municipal water system, so the campus is not intended to compete with households, businesses, or agriculture for the community's drinking-water supply.
Project Patriot is designed with multiple layers of noise mitigation. The power generation equipment sits inside enclosed, office-style buildings with built-in sound suppression rather than operating as exposed outdoor equipment, and berms, landscaping, setbacks, and site planning add further separation from neighboring properties. This fully enclosed design is very different from the open Bitcoin and crypto-mining equipment that has caused ongoing noise complaints for residents. The facility is designed to comply with the City of Granbury's applicable noise limits at the property line, and independent noise modeling will be conducted during permitting, with the results shared publicly.
Project Patriot's on-site power generation uses advanced, best-available emissions-control technology, designed to exceed traditional approaches. This technology includes Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology, one of the most effective tools available for reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from energy generation. Bilateral Energy received approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in July 2025 to build the electrical generating facility. The project will meet or exceed all applicable TCEQ and federal air permit standards. Bilateral Energy will make air permit documentation publicly available through this site.
No. The on-site generation facilities planned for Project Patriot are very different from what most people picture as a traditional industrial power plant. The system does not use exposed stacks that people are accustomed to seeing.
Generation equipment will be housed inside enclosed, office-style buildings designed with integrated noise suppression and architectural screening. The project also incorporates landscaping, berms, and other design elements intended to reduce both visual and operational impacts while integrating with the surrounding area.
Traffic, Lighting & Public Safety
Bilateral Energy is working directly with the City of Granbury, Hood County, and TxDOT to identify any roadway improvements needed at site access points, including turn lanes and signage. Bilateral Energy and its partners plan to use local railroad systems to minimize traffic impacts. This is expected to significantly reduce construction traffic and provide a manageable way of coordinating with the city.
Construction traffic will be routed to avoid residential streets and school zones, and construction activity will be scheduled within standard daytime hours. Once operational, the campus is expected to generate substantially less daily traffic than during construction, since the facility requires relatively small permanent staff.
Bilateral Energy is planning an offsite parking and shuttle program that moves construction workers to and from the site, keeping construction traffic and parking off surrounding roads and neighborhood streets. Specific offsite locations are being finalized with the City, and details will be shared as they are confirmed.
Bilateral Energy recognizes that dark, open night skies are an important part of life in Granbury, and that light pollution is a real concern for a project of this size. Site lighting will comply with all applicable City of Granbury lighting ordinances, and the design will go further where practical: fully shielded, downward-directed fixtures to prevent glare and skyglow, minimal or no uplighting, and lighting levels and controls that scale to what security and safety actually require rather than continuous full-site illumination. Because the majority of equipment will be housed inside enclosed buildings rather than operating in an open outdoor yard, the campus exterior lighting footprint is expected to be smaller than that of a typical industrial facility. Bilateral Energy is committed to protecting the night sky to the greatest extent possible while still meeting safety and security needs.
Bilateral Energy intends to work closely with Hood County and City of Granbury fire, police, and EMS to make sure local responders have the site access, layout information, and coordination they need. In addition, the campus is being designed with its own onsite fire suppression systems and dedicated safety personnel, so that day-to-day operational safety needs are handled primarily by dedicated onsite resources rather than adding demand to local emergency services. Local first responders would remain the primary contact for any offsite emergency, with mutual aid coordination consistent with any large-scale development in the area.
Community Engagement & Transparency
Bilateral Energy is committed to direct, ongoing engagement with Granbury and Hood County residents. That includes maintaining this website with updated project information and responding to inquiries submitted through the contact form.
We recognize that many residents learned about this project in ways that felt indirect or incomplete, and that questions and uncertainty have filled that gap.We recognize that and are committed to improving communication moving forward.. This site is where we'll give clear, factual answers — and we'd rather you bring us a question directly than rely on secondhand information, so we can respond openly and on the record.
Yes. Bilateral Energy intends to continue engaging with community members throughout the development process.
Residents will have opportunities to ask questions, provide feedback, and stay informed as additional project information is released.
As with any infrastructure project, certain details may continue to evolve. Bilateral Energy is committed to sharing updated information as it becomes available and providing the community with accurate, transparent information throughout the planning process.
The Project Patriot website will serve as the primary source for project information, updates, frequently asked questions, and contact information.
As planning progresses, additional materials—including project renderings, technical information, and community updates—will be added to the website.
Digital Infrastructure & Industry Questions
A data center is a secure facility that houses computer servers, storage systems, and networking equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.
Data centers support many of the technologies people rely on every day, including online banking, healthcare systems, streaming services, cloud computing, education, artificial intelligence, business applications, and emergency communications.
Demand for digital services continues to grow rapidly as more organizations adopt cloud computing, AI technologies, and data-intensive applications.
To support this growth, additional digital infrastructure is needed to provide the computing capacity, reliability, and security required by businesses, governments, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and consumers.