On Tuesday, August 11, we met at the Ida Grove Community Recreation Center to talk about data centers in Ida County. This page is the short version of what we presented, and what happens next.
We have proposed bringing a data center to Ida County. Where it could go, how big it could be, and whether it gets built at all runs through the County’s public process, under rules the County adopts first.
With every project, we start broad, then condense it down as we learn more, power limitations, site conditions, and local input included.
What we land on is research and a starting point, for each county's board to react to, revise, and finish however they see fit.
Here's what we have outlined for Ida County.
We build small. Think neighborhood hospital, not Mayo Clinic. We build in 10 MW blocks, and we ask every county we work in to cap project size at 25 MW in its own rules, so the limit belongs to the County, not to us.
Figures are the design estimates presented at the August 11 meeting.
Here’s what goes into a typical PathOne data center: how it’s cooled, how it’s powered, and how it’s protected and secured. Final design is set site by site.
A right-sized, closed-loop system, designed for minimal water use. Temperature and humidity are monitored and managed around the clock.
Two utility feeds into the site. The backup diesel generators are for emergencies only, never the main power source.
A pre-action, zoned dry-pipe sprinkler system, with early-warning smoke detection.
Staffed daily and monitored 24/7, with cameras, controlled entry, and a team ready to respond right away.
The water question is really a cooling question. We design for minimal water use, through closed-loop systems and a partner’s patented cooling technology.
The giant water numbers you may have read about come from evaporative-cooled hyperscale campuses, a different design at a different scale. That's not what we build, and the draft guidelines put low-water closed-loop cooling in the County's rules, not just our plans.
"Data center" covers buildings that have almost nothing in common. The thousand-acre campuses and hundreds of megawatts that make national news are the hyperscale end of this table. We're the first row.
| Type | Land | Power |
|---|---|---|
| PathOne | Under 30 acres | 10 MW blocks, up to 25 MW |
| Small / Edge | Under 25 acres | Under 25 MW |
| Regional | 25–100 acres | 25–100 MW |
| Hyperscale | 100–700 acres | 100–500 MW |
| Mega hyperscale | 700–1,000 acres | 500–1,500+ MW |
Rules come first. These are in front of the County now, written to bind us and anyone who builds after us. The Board holds the pen.
Cap project size at 25 MW. Every project requires County approval. No exceptions.
Strict noise limits at nearby farms and homes, quieter building design and sound barriers, downward-shielded lighting, and screened equipment.
Require low-water closed-loop cooling. Fix or pay for any damage to nearby wells. Favor industrial ground and lower-quality farmland over productive acres.
The developer pays for road damage and improvements, utility infrastructure, safety equipment and firefighter training, and independent studies and inspections.
Pay full property taxes. Take no local tax abatement. Make additional community investments, and publicly report water use and promised benefits.
Keep emergency and shutdown plans on file. Set money aside up front to remove the facility if it is ever abandoned. Violations can lead to fines or closure, with enforcement for the life of the facility, not just at approval.
Here is the one-page version. Print it, or keep it on your phone.
A facility this size pays full local property taxes, roughly 3.9% of building cost every year, and we take no local tax abatement. On jobs: a 10 MW facility is not a jobs program, and we won't pretend otherwise. At full build it supports roughly 10–20 permanent full-time positions at strong wages, plus construction work while it's built.
The big questions get answered here. We're collecting what came up at both meetings and what gets submitted through this page, and we'll publish written answers to the questions asked most.
The online webinar was held Monday, August 17, 7:00–8:30 PM (Central). Thanks to everyone who joined and asked questions live.
We held a second in-person meeting Monday, August 24 at the Arthur Community Center in Arthur, the same format as our first meeting in Ida Grove. Thanks to everyone who came out.
Nothing further is on the calendar right now. If we schedule another meeting, the date will be posted here. In the meantime, the form below is open and we read everything that comes through it.
Whether you were in the room Tuesday or couldn’t make it, send it in. We read everything, and the questions asked most get answered on this page.
We’re forming a Community Advisory Council: people who live and work in the community, hear project information first, ask the hard questions, and bring their neighbors’ concerns to the table. It’s open to supporters and skeptics alike.
If you need an accommodation to attend, send us a note through the form above and we’ll make it work.
