The Republic of Korea and the United States will jointly own a USD 22.3 billion natural gas generation and data center complex in Encinal, Texas, under an investment announced.

Project Deal Details

The project, known as Project Star, will carry 6.47 gigawatts of generation capacity and is being built and operated by a joint venture of Related Companies and NextEra Energy Resources in partnership with Lewis Energy Group.

The arrangement flows from the Korea-U.S. Trade Deal announced July 30, 2025 and the Strategic Investment MOU signed on November 14 of that year, both intended to deepen cooperation between the two countries in strategic industrial sectors including energy and artificial intelligence.

Under the trade agreement structure, ownership of the energy campus will be split jointly between the two nations, while the Related and NextEra joint venture team handles construction and operation.

The developers are expected to draw on the technological capabilities and supply chain strengths of Korean companies to support stable and efficient execution.

New Generation Paired With a 5 GW Digital Campus

Project Star's 6.47 GW of gas-fired generation will directly serve an adjacent 5 GW digital infrastructure campus that Related Digital is privately funding on a neighboring site. Beyond meeting that new demand, the project will send surplus electricity back to the grid, which the developers say supports reliability and affordability.

The design aligns with a directive from Texas Governor Greg Abbott that data centers bring their own generation to the ERCOT system rather than drawing on existing supply, an approach intended to strengthen local infrastructure and improve service for utility customers.

Natural gas for the campus will be supplied from within Texas.

NextEra Energy Resources and Related Companies will develop, build, and operate the generation facilities in Encinal, while Lewis Energy Group contributes associated infrastructure, including the land, produced water, and natural gas supply for the project.

Thousands of Construction Jobs and a Permanent Workforce

The investment is projected to generate thousands of high-paying, skilled construction jobs over multiple years, with an estimated 8,400 workers needed at peak construction.

Once the power campus is running, it is expected to support roughly 170 permanent positions, and the adjacent data center campus will create hundreds of additional good-paying permanent jobs.

According to the announcement, the multi-billion-dollar build-out will also open opportunities for local contractors, suppliers, small businesses and service providers in Southeast Texas. Rod Lewis, founder and CEO of Lewis Energy Group, said the project will bring much-needed jobs to South Texas, add new generation capacity to the state, and ensure natural gas produced in the South Texas region delivers direct economic benefits to local communities.

Lewis, whose family has a long ranching history in La Salle and Webb Counties, said the company looks forward to working with La Salle County, the State of Texas and the federal government.

What the Developers' Leaders Are Saying

Jeff T. Blau, Chairman of Related Digital and CEO of Related Companies, called the project historic and said it would advance the nation's energy independence, power American innovation, and strengthen not only the Texas economy but also relations between the United States and Korea.

Blau said Related Digital was founded on a commitment to responsible infrastructure development and expressed confidence the project would meet the high bar Governor Abbott has set for data center development.

He pointed to the company's practice of bringing its own power, protecting ratepayers, contributing excess power to the grid, protecting Texas water, and creating new economic benefits for Encinal, La Salle County and the state.

Blau also thanked the Trump Administration and Secretary Lutnick, and said Related looks forward to delivering the project as a model for responsible economic investment and infrastructure development in the United States.

John Ketchum, chairman and CEO of NextEra Energy, said Project Star shows how energy infrastructure and economic growth can advance together. Bringing new generation online to serve new demand, he said, strengthens reliability, supports investment and jobs, and protects electricity customers. Ketchum added that NextEra looks forward to working with the Administration, the State of Texas, Related Digital and Lewis Energy Group to develop the project responsibly.

The Texas Track Records Behind the Venture

The three participating companies each bring long-standing Texas histories to the project.

Related Digital, headquartered in Dallas, is an affiliate of Related Companies, which has long owned, operated and invested in multi-family housing, commercial office and retail across the state. Lewis Energy Group has served for decades as an economic engine and employer in La Salle County.

NextEra Energy, the largest publicly traded power company in the world, has invested more than USD 20 billion in Texas and operates over 9 GW of generation there, and it will build and run the gas plant.

A Template for Self-Powered Data Centers in ERCOT

The announcement frames Project Star as an example of the approach Governor Abbott has advocated for large-scale digital infrastructure in Texas: data centers that bring their own generation rather than relying on the existing grid, while contributing surplus power back to the ERCOT system.

With 6.47 GW of new natural gas capacity, a 5 GW adjacent data center campus, and joint Korean-American ownership under the bilateral trade agreement framework, the Encinal project stands among the largest single energy infrastructure investments announced under the strategic investment structure. The parties say they intend it to serve as a model for responsible infrastructure development going forward.