Minnesota’s environment is not for sale
The rise of proposed data centers has come fast and furious in Minnesota. These hyper-scale data centers pose significant risks to Minnesota’s water and energy supply, and could also have serious implications for mining in our state. If all 10 data centers currently proposed come online, they would consume as much energy as the entire state of Minnesota. Utilities would have to scramble to meet this demand, potentially leading to delays in scheduled coal plant retirements or the construction of new fossil fuel plants. Either development would gravely jeopardize Minnesota’s ability to reach our urgent climate goals.
But our shared climate isn’t all that’s at risk. Data centers are major drains on water resources, as wall-to-wall computers require cooling around the clock. The mammoth data center proposed in Farmington is estimated to drain 900 million gallons of water from the community’s aquifers, roughly double the water consumption of the entire city. The computer equipment would be replaced every few years, which could also lead to a surge in mining demand for the metals needed for the equipment. In addition to these threats, the lack of community engagement and the attempts to push deals through without respect to our bedrock environmental laws is a threat to Minnesotans’ rights to determine the fate of our state’s environment.
MCEA filed lawsuits against two Minnesota cities advancing large data center proposals without adequately studying the potential impacts the facilities could have on Minnesota’s water and energy resources.
The lawsuits are the first in Minnesota to challenge the environmental review of data centers. They seek to halt both cities’ data center proposals until they complete legally required, full environmental review. The lawsuits allege that the project descriptions in the environmental review documents are vague and don’t even mention the words “data center.”
The lack of specificity makes it difficult for residents to figure out what is being proposed to be built, let alone what its potential risks and benefits might be for their communities. The cities’ environmental review processes also neglected to examine some of the most common and significant environmental impacts associated with the burgeoning data center industry, including large electricity demand that may put Minnesota’s clean energy goals at risk, and high usage of already-stressed groundwater resources.
Data Center Demands
700+ Megawatts
The electricity consumption of just one “hyperscale” data center, which is more than the Monticello Nuclear Power Plant's output
7, 352 homes
The equivalent daily water use of one data center proposal in Farmington, which could double the city's usage
10+
Current proposals for hyperscale data centers in Minnesota
0
The number of comprehensive environmental reviews done for these proposed data centers
Data Center Updates
"Minnesotans need to be at the helm regarding hyper-scale data centers as they come into our state. Protections for our resources, our tax dollars and quality of life are being determined by billionaire developers and end users, with the risk borne by the citizenry."
- Cathy Johnson, President of the Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development