Blackstone’s QTS, NextEra and Siemens Energy launch Texas coalition to defend AI infrastructure

Some of the biggest names in data centers and power generation have formed an alliance to win over Texans who increasingly do not want AI infrastructure in their backyards.

The Lone Star Infrastructure Coalition (LSIC) officially launched on October 1, 2026. Its pitch is simple: data centers and power plants bring jobs and economic growth, and the group plans to say so directly to the communities pushing back.

Who is in the room

The coalition’s core membership reads like a supply chain diagram for the AI boom. It includes Blackstone’s QTS, NextEra Energy, Siemens Energy, Quanta Services, the Nuclear Energy Institute, and Lancium.

Each member covers a different link in the chain. QTS builds and operates data centers. NextEra generates power. Siemens Energy supplies the equipment that makes power systems run. Quanta Services handles infrastructure construction, while the Nuclear Energy Institute represents the nuclear industry and Lancium works on data center development.

Leading the effort is President Jimmy Glotfelty, a seasoned figure in the energy sector. Under his direction, the LSIC has started a campaign aimed at local communities and government officials, with a focus on transparently communicating the economic case for data centers and power projects.

Glotfelty has emphasized outreach designed to showcase job creation and broader economic benefits.

Why Texas got complicated

Concerns have been building across Texas about what rapid data center expansion means for residents. The worries center on three issues: environmental impact, electricity demand, and water use.

Those concerns have now reached the state’s top offices. In August 2026, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered audits of data center proposals.

Shortly afterward, in September 2026, Attorney General Ken Paxton opened a water-use compliance investigation.

The scale of what is being proposed helps explain the anxiety. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages most of the state’s grid, is facing a wave of interconnection requests totaling over 474 gigawatts. Data centers reportedly account for approximately 90% of those requests, according to some reports.

The pushback is not unique to Texas. Nationwide, 120 data center projects valued at nearly $200 billion were blocked in the first half of 2026 alone.

The NIMBY problem goes statewide

The LSIC is designed to counter what the industry describes as NIMBY sentiment, short for “Not In My Backyard.” The term refers to residents who may support a project in principle but object when it lands near their homes.

The coalition’s strategy is proactive: engage early, explain the benefits, and try to address concerns before they harden into organized opposition.

What this means

For investors tracking data center operators and power generators, the coalition is a sign that community relations have become a material business risk. Project timelines now depend not only on financing and equipment, but also on whether a county commission says yes.

The 120 blocked projects nationwide show what happens when that risk goes unmanaged. Every stalled site represents capital waiting on the sidelines, delayed returns, and engineering work that may need to be redone somewhere else.

The coalition will also need to answer specific questions rather than general ones. Pointing to job numbers may not satisfy a farmer worried about groundwater, or a homeowner wondering whether a new data center means higher electricity bills during a summer heat wave.

Key signals to watch include the findings of Governor Abbott’s data center audits, the outcome of Paxton’s water-use investigation, and whether ERCOT’s interconnection queue begins converting into approved, energized projects.