43: Project Matador: Fermi's 'Hyperscale' Data Center Complex Hitting Resistance in the Texas Panhandle

43: Project Matador: Fermi's 'Hyperscale' Data Center Complex Hitting Resistance in the Texas Panhandle

From Deceleration Podcast by Marisol Cortez & Greg Harman

April 24, 2026 · 49 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Project Matador, a large-scale data center initiative in Texas that raises environmental concerns.

Send us Fan Mail “Project Matador” outside of Amarillo, Texas, pairs Fermi America and the Texas Tech University System seeking a pod of “hyperscale” data centers over 6,000 acres across a privately owned and operated electric grid. Already permitted for 6GW of power with 93 planned gas-fired turbines and seeking to build multiple nuclear power plants, this is a truly climate-breakdown accelerating power footprint that brings severe water concerns atop one of the planet’s most imperiled major...

People in this episode

Hosts: Marisol Cortez, Greg Harman

Topics covered

  • data centers
  • energy
  • climate change
  • nuclear power
  • Texas

Keywords

  • Project Matador
  • Fermi America
  • Texas Tech University
  • hyperscale data centers
  • nuclear power
  • gas-fired turbines
  • climate impact

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Fermi America, Texas Tech University System

Places: Texas Panhandle, Amarillo

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