SpaceX faces opposition at meeting on proposed Cochise County data center campus
SpaceX is proposing a more than 700-acre data center campus near the Apache Generating Station, about 13 miles from Willcox in Cochise County. Hundreds attended a contentious public meeting, with many residents voicing concerns about the project’s size, noise, electricity demand and potential water impacts ahead of a planning and zoning hearing.
SpaceX is seeking approval for a data center campus on land east of U.S. Highway 191 near the Apache Generating Station in Cochise County. The proposed development would cover more than 700 acres, include nine computing buildings and require about 6 gigawatts of power. SpaceX says the project could create roughly 1,000 permanent jobs and potentially reduce electricity bills for customers of Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative.
The proposal drew hundreds of people to a public meeting at a local school auditorium, where residents repeatedly interrupted SpaceX representatives and expressed opposition. Water was a major concern, although SpaceX says the campus would use dry cooling and would not pump groundwater from the Willcox Basin for industrial or other non-drinking needs. The next step is a Dec. 9 public hearing before the Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission, whose decision could be appealed to the Cochise County Board of Supervisors.