When selecting a site for a data center, proximity to natural gas pipelines is an increasingly important factor. Especially as developers seek reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable energy solutions. Natural gas offers a stable and often lower-cost fuel source for on-site power generation, which can be used as a primary or even secondary power source. In regions with constrained grids, this is particularly relevant as data centers continue to grow in size and power consumption, making access to energy sources increasingly difficult. Additionally, natural gas can support lower-carbon energy strategies compared to traditional coal or diesel backup systems, aligning with corporate sustainability goals.
In Texas, the vast energy infrastructure network resulting from the state’s history of oil and gas production provides a compelling case study for the role of natural gas in data center site selection. The state is home to an extensive pipeline network, connecting major energy hubs with industrial consumers. And over the past decade, data center development has boomed in the state as cheap energy prices, a business friendly environment, and proximity to end-users have all played a role in making the state attractive to data center developers. But these opportunities don’t come without hurdles.. As power demand from AI-driven workloads surge, companies looking to build or expand in Texas must evaluate how proximity to natural gas pipelines can enhance their energy security and long-term cost stability. With these obstacles in mind, we will look at how LandGate can provide datasets and features to identify land for data center development.
Natural Gas Pipeline Data
In Texas, and throughout the US, LandGate has imported and digitized hundreds of thousands of natural gas pipelines. Along with pipeline location, this data includes information on pipeline Operator, Type, Status, Diameter, and System Name.
When paired with other data layers on LandGate such as offtake capacity, data centers, fiber optic lines, redundancy power sources, water lines, substations, and many more - operators can see a clear picture of the opportunities and threats that a property provides for data center development.
Data Center & Natural Gas Parcel Searches
Along with hundreds of data layers, LandGate offers nationwide parcel data. For developers, operators, and real-estate professionals alike, the true power of the platform comes from the ability to search for parcels based on whatever criteria is most important to the user. Let’s run an example of this as a case study.
Let’s say I wanted to identify some prime land for data center development in Tarrant County, Texas. After all, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has seen a booming growth in data center capacity over the past few years. To achieve this, I would use LandGate’s Parcel Search tool and filter by the following criteria:
Location: Tarrant County, TX
Parcel Acreage: over 100 acres
Proximity to Fiber Optic: less than 0.25 miles
Proximity to Natural Gas: less than 0.5 miles
With a few clicks, I found 105 parcels in Tarrant County, TX that matched my criteria. And if I wanted to take it a step further - I could refine those results by filtering land use, buildable acreage, proximity to redundancy power sources, available offtake capacity, and much more.
Data Center Site Selection in Practice
By leveraging LandGate’s data layers and parcel search tools, we quickly identified optimal locations for data center development that balance parcel size, proximity to key infrastructure, and reliable energy sources. The case study in Tarrant County demonstrates how developers can streamline site selection by integrating critical factors like natural gas access, fiber connectivity, and power redundancy into their decision-making process. As AI-driven workloads and energy demands continue to rise, data center operators will need to adopt data-driven approaches like this to secure sustainable and cost-effective sites. With LandGate, the path to identifying and securing the right location has never been more precise or efficient.
To learn more about LandGate and to run your own search, book a demo with our dedicated energy markets team.
