This record consolidates 17 research observations while retaining source distinctions, location precision and unresolved fields.
| Operator / developer | Cipher Digital, Inc. (formerly Cipher Mining) |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Riesel, TX |
| Address | Off Rattlesnake Road, north of downtown Riesel |
| Location precision | parcel or bounded site |
| Coordinates | Not published; no coordinate inferred |
| Capacity | Not established |
| Aliases | Cipher Digital Riesel Data Center Campus · Rattlesnake Road site near Sandy Creek Generating Station · Cipher McLennan · Cipher Riesel campus |
| Project profile | 0 rows |
|---|---|
| Intent / permits | 0 rows |
| Civic / infrastructure | 2 rows |
Crypto-to-AI conversion case: Cipher is pivoting from bitcoin mining to AI/HPC hosting. The exact site was still described as not finalized by the company in mid-2026, so acreage and location remain provisional.
Key data: Grid power sought from ERCOT; sited next to the 932 MW Sandy Creek coal plant and high-capacity transmission | ERCOT | NOT_FOUND | NOT_FOUND
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Developer: Cipher Digital, Inc. | Owner: Cipher Digital, Inc. (land acquired via county-recorded purchases) | County: McLennan | Research region: Temple-Killeen-Waco / Bryan-College Station / Texoma | Tenants/customers: AWS (reported as a Cipher customer) | Fluidstack (Google-backed; reported as a Cipher customer)
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Key data: Utility: Grid power sought from ERCOT; sited next to the 932 MW Sandy Creek coal plant and high-capacity transmission | Utility region: ERCOT | Grid area: ERCOT | Transmission: Adjacent to a high-capacity transmission line serving the Sandy Creek plant | Grid/market records: Applied in ERCOT's first large-load batch (Batch Zero) per local reporting
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Key data: Water source: Will not use City of Riesel water; exploring groundwater, surface water and recycled water. Lake Creek Lake water rights (BASF-owned, ~10,000 acre-feet/year, roughly 9 MGD) noted as a possible regional source | Cooling: Undetermined as of mid-2026
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Key data: Jurisdictions: State of Texas | McLennan County | City of Riesel (limited) | ERCOT
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Residents raised concerns; Cipher requested a town hall and had not yet appeared before the commissioners court
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Precinct 2 Commissioner D.L. Wilson said he opposes data centers in McLennan County but has little legal authority
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Water source and cooling method unresolved
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Neighboring Sandy Creek coal plant is offline until at least 2027 after a failure
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Key data: Surrounding infrastructure: Adjacent to the 932 MW Sandy Creek Generating Station (coal)
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Key data: Surrounding infrastructure: High-capacity transmission corridor
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
Key data: Surrounding infrastructure: Lake Creek Lake water rights held by BASF
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-09-05
First land purchase recorded
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-02
Additional land acquired (October per county clerk records)
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2025-10
Cipher publishes open letter to the community
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-05-08
Waco Bridge reports 300-acre, up-to-500 MW plan and Batch Zero application
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-05-27
DCD reports 500 MW plan with expected energization around 2028
Claim classification: Not yet assigned
Status date: 2026-07-14