CASPER — Add some Natrona County residents to those in the state concerned about data centers and man camps in their neighborhoods raising the temperature, sucking up groundwater, affecting property values and changing their rural way of life.
Natrona County Commissioners on Tuesday heard from a handful of residents who live on the western border of the county east of Casper.
They thanked the commissioners for not acting to bypass the state’s industrial siting board process and opt for a planned unit development (PUD) process for the Prometheus Hyperscale project’s plans in the county.
Prometheus Hyperscale last fall announced a project for western Converse County that Natrona County Development Director Sabrina Kemper reiterated Tuesday will stretch across the border.
Kemper said she last met with Prometheus officials earlier this spring. She said the company was interested in whether the county would turn to a PUD to create an industrial park for the parts of the project in Natrona County.
“Since we have zoning in Natrona County, we are able to create an industrial park for purposes such as a data center,” she said. “The power plant and man camp (are) proposed to potentially come to Natrona County.”
Commissioners showed little interest in using a county zoning tool to site the project.
Commissioner Peter Nicolaysen, who said his ranch is across from the proposed Converse County site, asked Kemper if she had an update on the project.
County Attorney Ashley Smith said she had spoken with the company’s attorney in the past week, but the discussion had just centered on whether the county would use a PUD for its portion of the project.
Commissioner Casey Coates said he has little interest in an industrial park for the project.
“I really like the industrial siting process,” he said. “I don’t think our county has the ability to scrutinize them to the level that projects such as data centers require, so for me personally, I don’t think we go down that road.”
Process Still Gives “Seat At The Table”
Nicolaysen said with the state process the county could still have “a seat at the table” in the requirements and decisions made regarding data centers on its lands.
Commissioner Dave North said he could see a benefit either way, but the county did not have enough information about the Prometheus project.
“We need more definitive information as far as what they want to put in Natrona County, where they want to put them and what the controls are going to be,” he said. “I don’t want to be in the same boat that Cheyenne is where they are making these big blanket areas.”
Prometheus founder and CEO Trenton Thornock told Cowboy State Daily last fall that the data center will start with a minimum $500 million investment for an initial 200 megawatts, but could scale up to 1.5 gigawatts in all, with up to 600 employees and an overall economic impact of up to $3.1 billion, based on an economic impact study commissioned by Prometheus Hyperscale for a similar center it’s building in Evanston.
Thornock said the project will actually straddle Natrona and Converse counties, giving both an economic boost. The project has been promoted by the company as one that will boast its own power system using natural gas and also having a closed-loop cooling system designed by the company.
Some residents at Tuesday’s meeting voiced skepticism about the project and believe it will change their way of life.
Kris Hool told the commissioners the company is trying to move too fast and he appreciated their decision not to create a PUD. He said many people would be affected by the project.
Ranch Worries
Resident Sarah Collins told the commission she is a fourth-generation rancher and has an Evansville address, but her septic and well are in Converse County. She said the proposed area for the center is not in the middle of nowhere and that the area has been designated a subdivision.
She worries about the change to an industrial-type area and the environmental impacts.
“It’s not a couple of residences, it’s kids living out there,” Collins said. “We’re talking about traffic on the Glenrock highway. We’re talking about wells and the actual water aquifers. That’s obviously going to affect our aquifers for our livestock business.”
Brad Isner characterized the project as a “travesty” that would cause his property value to plummet and put him “underwater.” He also projected that the structure would raise the temperature in the area by 18 degrees due to “the heat this thing is going to produce.”
He raised questions about the closed-loop cooling system, the sewer system for the proposed man camp, and the “continuous hum” he believes the data center will create.
“They’re going to build a power plant that is twice the size of the one we have but that is five years out,” Isner said. “In the meantime, they are going to have portable generators running enough power to power this structure.”
'Sketchy' Information
Isner compared the size of the data center to “five Walmarts” and noted that should its cooling system fail or other environmental issues arise they could impact Big Muddy Creek.
“They’re going to spend $20 to $30 million and we still don’t have a plan yet,” he said. “We don’t know where it's going to be … everything they told us has been sketchy.”
Betty Mosley told the board she has been riding horses on Lone Star Ranch property with permission for years. She said area residents moved there for the wildlife and views and now the area will be transformed by the proposed data center.
“How can you be so pompous as to think you’re going to improve upon what God has given us?” Mosley asked. “It would just be a sin. And what’s happening to our beautiful state? I don’t understand what we are doing.”
Resident John Oakley told commissioners too many unanswered questions about the data center remain.
“I just hope that you guys and us can get to the bottom of this before any decisions are made,” he said. “There is just too much at stake.”
Prometheus Hyperscale did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
