Could a data center come to Columbia County?

The article explores the potential for a data center development at the Armstrong Property in St. Helens, Columbia County, Oregon. Upland Data Center, LLC, a subsidiary of RestorCap, purchased the former industrial site in 2024. RestorCap, which specializes in remediating contaminated industrial sites, is currently cleaning the property in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

While the LLC's name and some marketing materials suggest data center use, Michael Halaburda, a technical advisor with RestorCap, clarified that these were initial considerations and marketing tools, with no commitments made for any specific use, including data centers. The company had a preapplication meeting with the City of St. Helens for a data center proposal, but no formal land use application was submitted within the required six months, meaning the process would need to restart for any future data center plans.

A key hurdle for data center development in Columbia County is the significant electricity demand and limited transmission capacity. Michael Sykes, General Manager of Columbia River People's Utility District (CRPUD), explained that most data centers require 50-100 MW, far exceeding CRPUD's low-rate contract with the Bonneville Power Administration. He also noted the absence of the larger 500 kV transmission lines typically desired by data centers, stating that any necessary infrastructure upgrades would be at the developer's expense, not CRPUD ratepayers. RestorCap's Halaburda indicated that if the Armstrong Property were to become a data center, it would be a "nuanced, small facility" that would not fit the "AI is big, AI is massive" power profile, potentially utilizing its own well water and natural gas generation to be self-contained.