Finney County, Kan. A proposed data center in Finney County could bring major economic development to southwest Kansas, but the project is also creating concerns among community members about water use, agriculture and the long-term impact on the area.
The proposed data center is connected to Triple Oak Power’s Home Range Clean Power development. Plans for the larger project include wind and solar energy, battery storage, natural-gas generation and a possible digital infrastructure campus. Although parts of the energy project have moved through the permitting process, the data center itself has not received final approval.
A data center is a large facility filled with computer servers that store and process digital information. Demand for data centers has increased as artificial intelligence and cloud-based technology continue to grow. Developers believe Finney County could be a good location because of available land and opportunities to produce the large amount of electricity a data center requires.
Water use has become one of the biggest concerns surrounding the proposal. The Kansas News Service reported that the proposed data center could use approximately 600 million gallons of water each year. However, the roughly 6,000 acres involved in the development currently use an estimated 3.2 billion gallons annually for agricultural irrigation. Developers have said the facility would primarily use air cooling, with additional water needed during the hottest parts of the year.
Supporters say the development could provide significant economic benefits. Triple Oak Power has estimated that the larger project could create more than 600 construction jobs and generate more than $80 million in tax revenue for Finney County over about 30 years.
Still, some residents have concerns about the project’s effect on water resources, farmland, infrastructure and the environment. Some criticism has appeared in Facebook posts on community discussion pages, with concerns focused on the potential impact of water use on local farmers. Finney County has established permitting requirements for data centers addressing water, electricity, traffic, noise, public safety and environmental impacts.
For now, the data center remains a proposal. The project has sparked conversations about how rural communities can balance new technology and economic growth while protecting the resources that local families and farmers depend on. As discussions continue, county officials and residents will have to consider the potential jobs, tax revenue and investment alongside the possible effects on the natural resources and agricultural economy that are important to southwest Kansas.