Laramie County Sees 25 Data Center Projects in Various Stages; Water Conservation Emphasized
Cheyenne LEADS CEO Betsey Hale reports approximately 25 data centers are active, under construction, or in the approval process in Laramie County, Wyoming. She clarifies that many proposed projects may not materialize and discusses water usage, noting that a golf course consumes more water than 10 data centers. Mayor Patrick Collins will mandate closed-loop cooling systems for future data centers to conserve water.
Betsey Hale, CEO of Cheyenne LEADS, reported that Laramie County, Wyoming, currently has approximately 25 data center projects in various stages of development. This includes 10 active facilities, five under construction, and 10 undergoing city or county planning processes. Hale cautioned that many of the proposed projects may not ultimately be built, highlighting that it took six years for a META project to materialize as an example of the long development timeline. She also clarified that LEADS counts data centers by address, not individual halls, stating that media reports of 40 or 70 data centers in the area are inaccurate.
Hale emphasized water conservation, noting that the Cheyenne Country Club Golf Course seasonally uses more water than 10 data centers. She added that Mayor Patrick Collins has committed to insisting on closed-loop cooling systems for data centers to minimize water consumption in the region. Cheyenne LEADS is also working with 12 manufacturing companies, not all of which are data centers, considering relocation to Laramie County.