Wind deal for data centre player led by ex-BP chief Looney

ENGIE North America has reached agreement with Prometheus Hyperscale to co-locate data centres at some of its wind, solar, and battery storge energy facilities along the main north-south highway that bisects the US state of Texas.

The deal is further indication of data centre developers’ interest in contracting wind power in Texas where the sector continues to expand despite hostility from President Donald Trump’s administration.

Texas, a booming technology hub, is attracting a slew of artificial intelligence (AI) data centre investment, in part because of the fit between renewable and natural gas power availability and hyperscaling ambitions.

ENGIE, the 10th largest wind power capacity owner in the US, has seven wind arrays on both sides of Interstate 35.

ENGIE said it would not discuss specific locations under the terms of the agreement reached with Prometheus.

Last November, Wyoming-based Prometheus gained prominence when former BP CEO Bernard Looney came onboard as chairman. The company, founded earlier this decade, is advancing the first stage of its flagship 1.2GW data centre campus in Evanston, Wyoming.

ENGIE said the first Texas sites equipped with “high-performance, AI-ready data centre computing capacity” are expected to go live in 2026, with more locations planned from 2027 onward.

“ENGIE is focused on delivering solutions to meet the growing demand for power across the US, with a strategic focus on enabling data centre expansion,” said David Carroll, chief renewables officer and senior vice president, ENGIE North America.

Looney said Prometheus is committed to developing sustainable, next generation digital infrastructure for AI.

"We cannot do this alone. ENGIE's existing assets and expertise as a major player in the global energy transition make them a perfect partner as we work to build data centers that meet market needs today and tomorrow," he added.