A Data Center Hopes to Move into La Pine and Use 15X the Power the Town Currently Uses - The Source
A proposed Boxminer data center in La Pine, Oregon, faces uncertain approval due to significant electricity demands and growing public opposition. The project, planning to use 20 megawatts, is drawing concern over potential power rate increases for residents.
A proposed data center project by Boxminer in La Pine, Oregon, is encountering significant local and national scrutiny, making its approval uncertain. The company seeks to develop a 19.5-acre site within an industrial park, promising 100 construction jobs and up to 200 full-time tech jobs, along with an estimated $1.2 million in property tax revenues for the City of La Pine.
The core concern revolves around the data center's substantial energy needs. Boxminer's proposal indicates a planned consumption of 20 megawatts, which is approximately 15 times the current power usage of the entire town of La Pine. This massive demand has ignited fears among residents about skyrocketing power bills, especially in light of recent energy cost increases.
Public sentiment, as reflected in a Pew Research Center poll, increasingly links data centers to higher energy costs and negative environmental impacts. This has fostered a bipartisan opposition movement against new data center developments. While Midstate Electric Cooperative states that data centers will cover their expansion costs, there's no guarantee local rates won't rise due to the nearly doubled demand from a single customer.
Oregon legislators recently set limits on consumer rate increases, and the Oregon Public Utility Commission has mandated that large data centers bear more of their associated costs, though these rules may not apply to co-ops like Midstate. The brewing opposition in La Pine serves as a cautionary tale for regional leaders regarding public sensitivity to any potential fee increases.