Kearney poised to go all in on data centers even as many Nebraska towns throttle back

LINCOLN, Neb. (Flatwater Free Press) - As more Nebraska communities pass moratoriums on new data center projects in the face of increased scrutiny from locals, the City of Kearney says it hopes to set itself apart by welcoming the industry.

The city of 33,000 has become one of the first in the state to pass a zoning ordinance for data centers, which places restrictions on things like noise, water consumption and energy use – the concerns locals cite most often when a power-hungry computer warehouse comes to town.

The city’s first customer in the wake of the new regulations will be a big one. It’s a multiphase data center campus that will rival the size of some of the biggest data centers in the country. When it’s fully built out, Tech One Crossing will consume 368 megawatts of power. That’s more than the entire Tri-Cities of Kearney, Grand Island and Hastings combined.

But it’s unclear who will make use of the Kearney campus’s computing power once it’s up and running. Developers say they have signed non-disclosure agreements and can’t publicly share who will lease the facility, and city leaders say they don’t know who the customer is.

Kearney’s regulations come as concern grows across Nebraska about the proliferation of data centers and cryptocurrency mines. In response, at least 12 counties have passed moratoriums, or time-limited bans, on new data center development.