Wellington residents weighing data center construction

The city of Wellington, Kansas, is currently engaged in early negotiations with a company named Cormor regarding a proposed data center project. Cormor plans to build a waterless and battery-free data center on the north end of town and is seeking to purchase 14.7 megawatts of electricity from the city. Wellington City Manager Jeff Porter stated that the city's two generation facilities can operate at about 40 megawatts, indicating confidence that the city's power supply can handle the data center's demand without strain. Porter also suggested the facility could offer additional benefits to local businesses, such as banks, healthcare, or aerospace companies, by providing reliable power. While residents expressed some caution and concerns about the project, many are hopeful it could bring jobs and economic benefit to Wellington, which has seen a decrease in city revenues since a previous major employer, Tect, closed. The sentiment is generally positive, provided the project doesn't lead to cuts in city services due to increased electricity usage. Separately, the broader issue of data center development is a significant topic across Kansas. Sedgwick County, a nearby area, recently held a town hall on data centers and has enacted a pause on receiving new data center applications while it works to update its zoning regulations and policies. Another town hall is scheduled for March 31st at the K-State Research and Extension Office to discuss current zoning policies.