Chambers County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mont Belvieu, Baytown and Beach City
New generation is lining up in Chambers County. Employers here counted 23,244 jobs in 2025, up 35.0% from 2019. Construction employs 1,917, down 38.1% since 2019, and construction is 1.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Chambers County is home to Mont Belvieu, part of Baytown (5,091 of its 86,561 residents), Beach City and Anahuac. 1,080 MW of new generation is planned here across 3 units, led by Cedar Bayou 5 LLC (natural gas). 721 MW of it is already under construction or built. Its power plants have 3,035 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in Chambers County
Chambers County is home to Mont Belvieu, part of Baytown (5,091 of its 86,561 residents), Beach City and Anahuac.
- Baytown also extends into Harris County.
- Old River-Winfree also extends into Liberty County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Oak Island, Stowell, Winnie.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Chambers County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 46,992 | 57,594 | ▲ 22.6% | 62nd of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17,224 | 23,244 | ▲ 35.0% | 11th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $68,196 | $78,532 | ▲ 15.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,096 | 1,917 | ▼ 38.1% | 151st of 155 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.2% | 5.4% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 1,080 MW | 36% of today's fleet | 19th of 149 by size |
57,594 people live here, up 22.6% since 2020. Unemployment was 5.4% in August 2026, against 4.2% in 2019. 5 MW has retired here since 2019, including Enterprise Products Operating (natural gas, 5 MW, 2019). 1 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. CenterPoint Energy is the largest utility serving Chambers County, one of 2 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers.
Who powers Chambers County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −4 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Chambers County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CenterPoint Energy | — | Delivery only (retail choice) | 2,485,470 | — | — |
| Entergy Texas Inc. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 457,369 | 13.66¢ | 24% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 3,035 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Bayou | NRG Texas Power LLC | Natural gas | 1,530 MW | 1970 |
| Baytown Energy Center | Baytown Energy Center LLC | Natural gas | 933 MW | 2002 |
| Cedar Bayou 4 | NRG Cedar Bayou Development Company LLC | Natural gas | 536 MW | 2009 |
| Enterprise Products Operating | Enterprise Products Optg LP | Natural gas | 21 MW | 1991 |
| Mont Belvieu Cogeneration Unit | Targa Co-Generation LLC | Natural gas | 15 MW | 2009 |
| WAL2439 | Walmart Stores Texas, LLC | Natural gas | 1 MW | 2021 |
Planned generation 3
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Bayou 5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 721 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2028 | Cedar Bayou 5 LLC |
| Noor Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 188 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Industrial Kilo Project, LLC |
| Coneflower Storage Project LLC | Batteries | 171 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Acciona Energy USA Global, LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Products Operating | Natural gas | 5 MW | 2019 |
The Chambers County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 23,244 | $78,532 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,917 | $88,045 | 1.56 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Chambers County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Chambers County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Chambers County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Chambers County, Harris County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chambers County | 57,594 | ▲ 35.0% | 3,035 MW | 1,080 MW | — | — |
| Galveston County | 372,207 | ▲ 13.8% | 3,048 MW | 750 MW | — | — |
| Harris County | 5,045,026 | ▲ 4.6% | 11,060 MW | 967 MW | 36 | — |
| Jefferson County | 254,321 | ▲ 1.4% | 1,355 MW | 754 MW | 1 | — |
| Liberty County | 121,364 | ▲ 9.7% | 110 MW | 150 MW | — | — |
More of Texas
Chambers County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Chambers County, Texas?
2 utilities have service territory in Chambers County in the EIA-861 2024 report: CenterPoint Energy, Entergy Texas Inc..
What county is Mont Belvieu, TX in?
Mont Belvieu is in Chambers County, Texas. About 10,654 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Chambers County?
6 operating plants with 3,035 MW of capacity. The largest is Cedar Bayou (1,530 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Chambers County?
1,080 MW across 3 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 721 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Cedar Bayou 5 LLC.
Are there data centers in Chambers County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Chambers County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Harris County.
Is Chambers County adding jobs?
Employers counted 23,244 jobs in 2025 against 17,224 in 2019 (+35.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,096 to 1,917.
Does Chambers County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Chambers County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.