Bastrop, Tx–Bastrop County commissioners today approved a 10-year tax break for a new $65 million data center proposed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on a 40-acre site near McKinney Roughs off Texas 71 West of Bastrop presenty owned by the tax-exempt Lower Colorado River Authority.
ERCOT is a non-profit corporation governed by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and is charged with regulating the flow of electric power from generators to consumers across roughly 75 percent of the state. The operating center of the distribution system is in Taylor. The Bastrop facility is planned as a back-up data center for the system. It will be staffed by a work force of 15 who will be paid on average $85,000 a year, said ERCOT officials.
The county tax break will save the agency a few million dollars over the coming decade but will not affect property taxes due to the Bastrop Independent School District and the Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 1, which provides fire protection to the area.
Commissioners approved the proposed tax break agreement without discussion.
ERCOT officials said they plan to spend about $30 million for building construction and utilities at the site, plus another $35 million for equipment.