Data Centers Pitched as Less Thirsty Than Farms in Message Pivot
Triple Oak Energy is proposing the Home Range development near Garden City, Kansas, combining a data center with wind, solar and natural-gas generation, battery storage and other infrastructure. The project says its data center would use less water than the farms it would replace, but water managers remain concerned about additional pressure on the Ogallala Aquifer.
Triple Oak Energy’s proposed Home Range development near Garden City, Kansas, would combine a data center with wind, solar and natural-gas generation, battery storage and related infrastructure. The company is presenting the project as less water-intensive than the agricultural land it would replace in dry southwest Kansas.
The proposal comes as water managers and other residents across the Great Plains monitor potential data center growth and its effect on the already strained Ogallala Aquifer. The project also raises broader concerns about the region’s shift from agriculture to energy and technology development, although proponents remain hopeful that the facility’s water needs will be relatively modest.