Project Aquila is a planned data-centre campus in Hill County, Texas, developed by RCM Hill LLC, designed to deliver 1,235 MW of capacity across 800-plus acres. Its developer signed four landowner contracts worth more than $80 million over 16 months and secured an ERCOT large-load interconnection position, with a $61.75 million deposit due by 24 July 2026 to hold the grid slot .

On 12 May 2026 The Hill County commissioners court voted 3-2 to impose a moratorium on the project, despite County Judge Shane Brassell calling the measure "illegal" and county attorney David Holmes warning that commissioners lacked the authority. RCM Hill LLC responded on 28 May by filing a $100 million federal lawsuit alleging regulatory taking under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments and the Texas Constitution. Facing that suit, the commissioners court voted unanimously on 4 June 2026 to rescind the moratorium, seven days after the filing, and adopted new project-review requirements in its place . RCM Hill LLC then filed a Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice on 9 July 2026, formally ending the case; the dismissal bars the company from refiling the same claims against Hill County.

Project Aquila's dispute sat within ERCOT's already-strained large-load interconnection queue, in which data centres account for the large majority of requests. Its 24 July deposit Deadline was a direct product of ERCOT's queue-reform rules designed to flush speculative applicants: because the moratorium was rescinded seven weeks before that Deadline, RCM Hill retained the window to meet it rather than losing the interconnection position it spent over a year securing.

Common Questions

What is Project Aquila in Texas?

Project Aquila is a 1,235 MW data-centre campus planned by RCM Hill LLC on 800-plus acres in Hill County, Texas. A county moratorium on the project was rescinded in June 2026 after the developer sued, and the developer's own lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in July 2026.Source: KWTX

Where is Project Aquila located in Texas?

Project Aquila is sited in Hill County, Texas, a rural county whose seat is Hillsboro, roughly 70 miles south of Dallas. The campus would span more than 800 acres.Source: event

Why did Hill County block Project Aquila?

Hill County commissioners voted 3-2 on 12 May 2026 to impose a moratorium on Project Aquila. Commissioners did not give a single official reason on the record. The county's own judge called the measure illegal and the county attorney warned they lacked authority; the vote passed regardless, reflecting local opposition to the campus.Source: KXXV

What happens to Project Aquila if the moratorium is not lifted by July 2026?

RCM Hill LLC faces a $61.75 million ERCOT deposit Deadline on 24 July 2026. If the moratorium is still in place and the developer cannot break ground, it risks losing its interconnection queue position, which took over 16 months to secure and cannot easily be replaced given ERCOT's 410 GW backlog.Source: KWTX

Did Hill County lift its moratorium on Project Aquila?

Yes. Facing RCM Hill's $100 million federal lawsuit, Hill County's commissioners court voted unanimously on 4 June 2026 to rescind the moratorium it had imposed less than a month earlier, adopting new project-review requirements instead.Source: TPR / Texas Tribune

Is RCM Hill still suing Hill County over Project Aquila?

No. After the county rescinded its moratorium, RCM Hill LLC filed a Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice on 9 July 2026, formally ending the case and barring it from refiling the same claims.Source: KWTX

Source Material

Data center developer files lawsuit against Hill County moratorium