One Oklahoma proposal is being designed around power, water and neighborhood concerns. Elsewhere, opposition remains strong enough that a fire department rejected a $250,000 Google donation.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s growing data center debate looks markedly different from one community to another.
In Enid, developers are promoting an ambitious project designed from the outset to answer concerns about electric rates, water consumption and nearby neighborhoods.
Near Sand Springs, opposition to a proposed data center remains strong enough that a volunteer fire department turned down a $250,000 donation from Google rather than risk alienating residents whose donations support the department.
The contrasting situations illustrate why the potential benefits and drawbacks of data centers depend heavily on the details of each project.
Enid plan promises safeguards
An Enid group operating as Plainsmen Holdings has proposed Project Thunderbird, a multibillion-dollar development spread among four campuses covering approximately 1,735 acres.
The Oklahoman reported that the proposal includes an on-site power plant capable of generating as much as 3.3 gigawatts of electricity. Developers said the facility would likely use combined-cycle natural gas generation and would serve the data center behind the meter without increasing demand on the regional electric grid.
The project would draw raw water from Enid’s Kaw Lake Pipeline rather than using the city’s drinking-water system. Developers say closed-loop cooling would recirculate water and significantly reduce consumption compared with traditional systems.
Plainsmen Holdings says those features would prevent the development from increasing residential electric rates or water bills. The group also projects tens of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue at full buildout for schools, city services and other local priorities.
Plans call for setbacks of at least 500 feet from residentially zoned property, along with shielded lighting, sound barriers and tree plantings intended to reduce effects on surrounding neighborhoods.
But the proposal remains in its earliest stages. No data center operator has signed a contract or letter of intent, and developers estimate that a full buildout could take as long as seven years. An Enid public open house is scheduled for Sept. 24.
Opposition persists near Sand Springs
The situation is much different near Sand Springs, where residents have been fighting a proposed data center.
Rock Volunteer Fire Department Chief Charley Pearson said the department rejected a $250,000 donation offered by Google because accepting the money could jeopardize its relationship with community members opposing the development.
Pearson told KTUL that he did not regret the decision six months later. The volunteer department instead continued relying on community donations and its annual fundraiser.
The dispute also involves a conservation easement held by Land Legacy on about 270 acres of the proposed site. In a Sept. 2 order, Osage County Associate District Judge Burl Estes granted the defendants’ dismissal motion in part and denied it in part, allowing Land Legacy’s central claims over the easement to continue. The ruling did not decide whether the easement ultimately prevents development of the property.
The Enid and Sand Springs examples are at different stages and involve different plans. Together, they show that Oklahoma’s data center debate encompasses more than the amount of electricity the facilities consume.
How a project would obtain power and water, where it would be built, what enforceable protections it carries and whether residents trust the developer can all shape a community’s response.
