SpaceX has proposed building a gas fired power plant and a super compute facility at Starbase, the Texas city built around its main rocket factory and launch site, with an estimated capital investment of approximately 24 billion dollars for the initial phases. The proposal surfaced in a City of Starbase public notice posted on November 6, which names Space Exploration Technologies Corp. as both applicant and property owner.
The site is a tract of approximately 444 acres inside Starbase city limits, just east of Brownsville, between Boca Chica Boulevard and the Port of Brownsville in Cameron County. The city commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on December 9 at 7 p.m. to consider a property tax abatement agreement under Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code and a related economic development agreement under Chapter 380. The notice does not disclose the abatement percentage or term, any generating capacity, or a construction schedule, and neither agreement has been approved.
The 24 billion dollar figure needs care. It is the estimated capital investment for the project’s initial phases, which the notice says may be built over multiple phases and include future expansions. It is not the value of the tax relief SpaceX is seeking, and the notice does not split the figure between the power plant and the computing facility.
A separate air permit application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, reported by local media on November 8, describes an initial configuration of 35 natural gas turbines with combined capacity of about 748 megawatts, and a later configuration using eight larger GE Vernova turbines totalling about 708 megawatts. That application is pending, and the capacity figures are not part of the city’s hearing notice.
If built, the project would put generation and compute on one self owned site, following the pattern set by other large AI operators securing dedicated power rather than waiting on grid connections. SpaceX reported 48.1 billion dollars of capital expenditure in the first nine months of 2026, so a phased 24 billion dollar programme is large even against that run rate. The December 9 hearing is the next decision point.