Proposed data center concerns residents

A proposed data center project in Oklahoma has sparked concerns among residents in Pittsburg County. David Floyd, an attorney representing Pittsburg County and its TID review committee, addressed a crowd on April 7 regarding the development. The company behind the proposal, Iren, formerly known as Iris Energy, specializes in building and operating data centers and currently operates a facility in Childress, Texas. Iren is considering a 2,000-acre tract of land off Highway 69 in Pittsburg County, a few miles south of Kiowa, or an alternative site approximately eight miles south in Atoka County. The potential Pittsburg County site involves land on both the eastern and western sides of the highway, north of an existing gas facility.