Vantage TX1 data center, San Antonio, Texas

Vantage Data Centers is building its TX11 data center at 14720 Omicron Drive in San Antonio, in Bexar County, Texas, a two-story, 32 megawatt building with four 8-megawatt data halls. State records list it as a $95.8 million project that was due to be completed by September 1, 2026. On September 18, 2026, residents near Texas Research Park, close to State Highway 211 and Potranco Road, reported a strong smell of natural gas from the site.

"Oh my God, what is that awful? Oh my God, that's natural gas," resident Sarah Forsythe said of the moment she smelled it. Stuart Pennington, who represents the neighborhood's homeowners association, said Vantage had injected far too much odorant into the gas, and residents described the smell as strong enough to make people violently nauseous. Vantage corrected the injection error after the association contacted the company, and Pennington said there have been no further complaints since.

Mark Freeman, Vantage's vice president of global marketing, said the company is "not aware of any incident at the site that has posed a risk to the surrounding community" and follows its permitting, inspection and safety procedures.

Two months earlier, on July 22, 2026, the Environmental Integrity Project, the Sierra Club and Public Citizen filed notice of intent to sue Vantage and its power provider VoltaGrid, the required first step before a Clean Air Act lawsuit. The groups say the companies split the data centers and their gas turbines and diesel generators into smaller permits to avoid the stricter review a single large permit would require.

"If Vantage and its power plants, which are owned by VoltaGrid, were permitted all at once, then you'd have a major permit," said Adrian Shelley of Public Citizen. Jen Duggan of the Environmental Integrity Project said the equipment could emit particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Vantage said it takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and is committed to complying with the law.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality held a hearing on the Omicron Drive campus's federal operating permit on August 17, 2026, in San Antonio; it was held as scheduled and no result has been published. The 60-day wait that began with the July 22 notice has also passed, so the environmental groups can now sue, though no lawsuit has been reported.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered a statewide audit of data centers seeking grid connections on August 3, 2026, freezing new approvals while it runs, though sites that generate their own power, like this one, can bypass it.