Kansas Counties Consider Data Center Projects Amid Zoning Reviews and Water Concerns

A Georgia-based company, Beltline Energy, has signaled its intention to develop a new data center in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. The company has approached landowners near Emmett and notified the Pottawatomie County Commission. This comes as the county's planning commission is actively reviewing various data center zoning proposals. Simultaneously, western Kansas communities, including Finney County near Liberal, are also exploring data center projects but are encountering significant public resistance. Residents have voiced strong concerns, primarily focusing on the substantial energy and water requirements of data centers, an issue particularly sensitive in a region already grappling with water scarcity. Finney County Economic Director Lona DuVall attempted to mitigate concerns by highlighting that a proposed data center project would consume significantly less water than current agricultural irrigation practices, potentially less than half of the 3 billion gallons annually used by a plot of farmland. Despite this, over 100 local residents recently convened to ask questions and express their apprehensions, with additional public forums scheduled later in the year to address these ongoing concerns.