An AI data center project for western Kansas might use less water than irrigation farming
Triple Oak Power is proposing an AI data center project in Finney County, Kansas, near Garden City, which locals are opposing due to concerns about water use, noise, and environmental impact from solar panel installation. Despite opposition and water scarcity concerns related to the Ogallala Aquifer, Finney County officials approved a special use permit for the project, which Triple Oak Power argues will use significantly less water than current irrigation farming on the same land.
Triple Oak Power is advancing plans for a large-scale AI data center in Finney County, Kansas, near Garden City, sparking a contentious debate over water use and environmental impact. The Oregon-based company proposes a 6,000-acre project that includes the data center, a sprawling array of solar panels, wind turbines, and a natural gas plant on former farmland. Company representatives Ann Gravatt, in external affairs, and Jesse Gronner argue that the project will significantly conserve water, estimating it will use only 600 million gallons annually
Despite the developer's assurances of water savings and the potential for $80 million in taxes over 30 years and 600 construction jobs, local residents remain highly skeptical. Brothers Tucker and Jackson Turner are leading the opposition, expressing doubts about Triple Oak Power's promises and accountability regarding potential erosion from exposed sandy soil after solar panel installation, and water quality issues for nearby properties. Jackson Turner started the "Stop Finney County Kansas Data Center" Facebook page, emphasizing a distrust in both the company and Finney County officials, whom he accuses of downplaying the data center's role.
The region's reliance on the rapidly shrinking Ogallala Aquifer makes water an existential issue, fueling broader "not-in-my-water-basin" opposition against data centers nationwide. Melissa Scanlon, director of the Center for Water Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, highlights a lack of regional and state-level planning and regulation for data centers. While Triple Oak Power has been reticent about specifics until a digital infrastructure partner is secured, Finney County officials, including Economic Development Corporation Director Lona Duvall, approved a key special use permit for the project in early June, viewing it as an opportunity to diversify the local economy. The debate over the project's long-term impacts on water and environment continues among the locals.