Residents question developers during Pahrump town hall on proposed data center
Residents in Pahrump, Nevada, are actively questioning developers about the proposed multi-billion dollar Manse Technology Campus data center, citing concerns over water usage, privacy, and transparency from county commissioners. A town hall was held where developers highlighted potential benefits like job creation and tax revenue, while residents focused on environmental impacts and the project's demand for resources in a desert environment.
A proposed multi-billion dollar data center, the Manse Technology Campus, is generating significant questions and opposition from residents in Pahrump, Nevada. Community members recently packed a town hall in the Nye County Commission Chambers to hear directly from developers and county leaders regarding the project's potential impact on the area's future. The campus, spanning 900 acres, represents an 18.4 billion dollar private investment.
Residents, including Net Miller who has a background in information technology, expressed concerns about privacy and the rapid growth of data centers. Opponents distributed flyers with the message "Our water, our voice, our town," focusing on the project's potential strain on local water resources, particularly the aquifer, which some claim has dropped over 20 feet in recent years. Critics also voiced concerns about the transparency of Nye County Commissioners regarding the development.
Developers, represented by Shaun Dale, addressed some of these concerns, stating that the campus would utilize closed-loop water cooling technology designed to reduce water consumption, claiming it would use about half the water of an 18-hole golf course. They also emphasized the economic benefits, projecting thousands of construction and permanent jobs and tens of millions of dollars annually in property tax revenue for Nye County, making it one of the county's largest taxpayers.
If approved, construction is slated to begin in 2027 and unfold in multiple phases over approximately five years. The discussion also touched upon the broader context of artificial intelligence driving rapid data center growth, with Bloomberg Research projecting data centers to consume 20% of the nation's electricity by 2035, necessitating 194 gigawatts of power in the next decade and potentially straining the electric grid.