Proposed Bonner Mill AI data center faces power supply questions as energy supplier denies commitment

A proposal to establish a small artificial intelligence data center at the Bonner Mill Industrial Park in Bonner, Montana, is encountering significant hurdles regarding its power supply. Mill officials had previously indicated that Energy Keepers, an energy supplier based in Polson, would provide power for the project. However, Energy Keepers issued a statement clarifying that it has not made any commitment to supply power to this or any other specific data center project, noting that it continually assesses various commercial opportunities as a wholesale electricity supplier. The proposed data center would occupy the former United Forest Products building along Highway 200, a site that became vacant after United Forest Products closed its Bonner facility, leading to dozens of layoffs. The identity of the data center company and additional project details are expected to be unveiled at a community meeting scheduled for Friday. The meeting, hosted by Friends of Two Rivers at St. Ann Catholic Church in Bonner, will include representatives from the mill, the data center company's CEO and staff, and officials from Missoula County, who will address community questions.