Geronimo Power CEO invites comment on review process

Geronimo Power President and CEO Blake Nixon, alongside permitting lead Marta Lasch, held a media briefing to provide an update on the proposed Nobles County Powered Data Park. They urged county residents to participate in the first 30-day public comment period for the Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR), which assesses the project's design and scope. The AUAR process, led by Nobles County, is intended to provide factual information for local officials to make informed decisions, not to approve the project directly. The proposed data center, planned for Section 19 of Elk Township, is envisioned as a 400-megawatt facility with potential to expand to 1,000 megawatts. Geronimo Power is addressing concerns about water use, stating they are working with Lincoln-Pipestone Rural Water for domestic and possibly closed-loop cooling systems, noting the facility's annual water consumption would be equivalent to two commercial car washes. They confirmed no water wells would be drilled for the project. Energy for the data center is planned to come from three yet-to-be-constructed wind farms, a proposed solar farm, and existing wind farms. The Plum Creek Wind project recently received state permit approval, while Summit Lake Solar is midway through its approval process. Geronimo Power emphasized that the data center project would not proceed without the approval of these energy sources. Nixon also responded to concerns about the data center's impact on agricultural land, noting the site represents only 0.2% of Nobles County's total agricultural land. He highlighted potential economic benefits, estimating the data center could generate 40% of the county's taxes and offering a Neighborhood Shared Benefits Program to landowners near the site. Despite some negative public comments, Nixon claimed the project has hundreds of supporters.