Nodaway County Commissioners to hold meeting with Scale Microgrids about proposed data center
Nodaway County Commissioners and residents met with Scale Microgrids to discuss a proposed hyperscale AI data center, White Cloud Acres, near Maryville. Residents voiced concerns about utilities, environmental impacts, health, and water usage, despite the company's plans for reclaimed water. Many attendees expressed dissatisfaction with the meeting's format, citing a lack of transparency.
A meeting took place in Nodaway County, Missouri, concerning a proposed hyperscale AI data center named White Cloud Acres, to be located along US 71, approximately eight miles south of Maryville. Scale Microgrids, the company behind the project, met with Nodaway County Commissioners and local residents who raised numerous questions and concerns.
Key concerns voiced by residents included the data center's impact on utilities, potential health effects, and the benefits it would bring to Nodaway County. Environmental impacts and water usage were particularly pressing issues. Scale Microgrids outlined their plan to use reclaimed water, treated on-site with a reverse osmosis system, for the data center's initial fill of 1.5 million gallons.
However, many attendees found the meeting's "scattered" format uninformative and lacking transparency, contrasting it with a traditional town hall where all questions would receive consistent answers. They felt this approach did not promote transparency regarding the proposed development.