Mohave County narrows economic-development priorities; data centers removed from target list
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Summary
The board voted 3–2 to remove data centers from the county’s targeted industries list for economic development, citing concerns about water and power demand; supporters and opponents debated new cooling technologies and potential job impacts.
The Mohave County Board of Supervisors voted July 21 to remove data centers from the county’s list of targeted industries for its economic development office. The motion passed 3–2 after more than an hour of discussion that included public comments and technical explanations of modern cooling approaches.
Supporters of the change — who cited the county’s limited water and electric capacity — said courting conventional (water-cooled) data centers risks overcommitting scarce resources. Supervisor Gould said data centers require “a phenomenal amount of water and electricity” and suggested the county should pursue businesses that match local resource availability.
Opponents and several public speakers said data centers can provide high-paying construction and technical jobs, stimulate demand for electricians and related trades, and noted newer cooling technologies (including closed-loop dielectric liquids and immersion cooling) reduce water use. Economic development staff said the county’s current priorities focus on health care, construction, manufacturing and transportation; staff also noted developers sometimes propose on-site power generation or newer cooling options.
Board members discussed criteria that could let the county consider a future data‑center proposal — for example, requirements for on-site power or low‑water cooling — but the formal outcome on July 21 was removal of data centers from the active target list. A supervisor suggested individual proposals can still come forward if they meet county zoning and utility requirements.