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Albany board delays decision on proposed data-center power partnership, asks staff for financial scenarios
Summary
After hours of questions about term length, revenue splits and generation risk, the Office Building Board voted to defer consideration of a proposed data-center partnership for two weeks and asked staff to provide detailed financial analysis of different commitment levels.
The Office Building Board on Aug. 14 heard a presentation about a proposed data-center partnership in nearby Chris County and voted to postpone a decision for two weeks while staff prepares a detailed financial analysis.
Mister Jacobs, who presented the opportunity, said the state has "about 7,000 megawatts" of potential data-center demand and described a phase‑1 plan on roughly 600 acres with an initial 80‑megawatt buildout. Chris County is reported to be committing 30 megawatts and seeking participating cities to take the remaining capacity; Jacobs described a proposed revenue split in which the host county would receive 100% of its share while participating cities would split the remainder 50/50 with the developer.
Board members pressed for clarification on how long commitments would run and how Albany’s existing excess capacity would be affected. Several members referenced Albany’s current excess as roughly 18 megawatts, noting the city already has a 5‑megawatt commitment in place for five years. Members also raised concerns about long contract terms if local generation resources such as Shearer are retired or operationally constrained by litigation or policy changes.
The chair said the board should not commit to a multi‑year subscription without seeing detailed numbers. Jacobs agreed to work with ECG/Electric City and internal staff ("Joe") to produce scenarios showing revenue and cost outcomes at several commitment levels and to confirm whether the proposed 50/50 split is negotiable.
The board moved, seconded and voted to continue the item for two weeks and directed staff to return with a financial analysis that breaks down the implications of committing at various megawatt levels and contract terms. The board’s recorded confirmations during the roll-call-style vote indicated assent to the motion to defer and request for staff analysis.
Next steps: staff will obtain the requested analyses from ECG/Electric City and provide the board with modeled outcomes to inform a subsequent vote.
