Developer says proposed Burlington site will use closed-loop cooling, batteries and local labor

Charlie White, a land agent for Aurum Capital Ventures, answered residents' questions about water, power and operations at the proposed West Burlington site. He said the facility will use a closed-loop distilled-water cooling system and that any process water would be removed from site and disposed of after testing.

"The facility that we are proposing is going to use a closed loop system that will be filled with distilled water, period," White said. He also said the company expects "right around 8 to 10 people" to work on-site full time, and that current operations at the West Burlington location use about 4.5 megawatts with an expected cap near 15 megawatts without significant site enlargement.

On backup power, White said the company will install lithium iron phosphate batteries that can power the entire facility for up to 45 minutes; if outages last longer, diesel generators would take over temporarily and the company intends to transition those to natural gas within two to three years. White said Aurum will pay for required grid upgrades and prefers to hire local labor and suppliers where possible.

White acknowledged uncertainty about tenant mixes — "we develop the data center, we run it as a landlord" — and said the firm is not guaranteeing permanent employment beyond a small on-site staff and construction-period jobs. He said the company will comply with local regulation and that Eastern Iowa Light and Power has advised that new loads trigger required upgrades paid by the developer.