Laramie County approves site plans for Tallgrass, Crusoe data center and companion power plant at Switchgrass Industrial Park

The Laramie County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved two linked site‑plan permits on Jan. 6 for a large data‑center campus and a companion natural‑gas power plant proposed for the Switchgrass Industrial Park south of Cheyenne.

The board approved Project Jade (Crusoe’s data‑center campus) and the BFC Power/Cheyenne Power Hub power‑plant site plan after presentations from Tallgrass and Crusoe, a lengthy staff report from Justin Arnold of Laramie County Planning and Development, and an extended public hearing in which neighbors and stakeholders raised questions about water, traffic, noise, lighting and future expansion.

Raymond Williams, project director for Tallgrass, told commissioners the initial power‑plant development could deliver up to 2.7 gigawatts and that Tallgrass would source industrial water from the deeper Lance Formation groundwater aquifer rather than the shallower Ogallala aquifer. “We are deliberately designing this project to maximize the benefits and minimize the impacts to the community,” Williams said, adding the applicants plan on on‑site wastewater treatment, deep groundwater wells and mitigation measures for dust, light and noise.

Matt Field, Crusoe’s chief real estate officer, described the data‑center buildings, closed‑loop cooling that reduces ongoing water use, perimeter security and an approach to provide on‑site power for the campus: “We’re bringing our own power,” he said, and estimated the work would create roughly 5,000 construction jobs at peak and about 400 permanent data‑center jobs.

Several residents, including Randy Fox, president of the Hyman Homesites Homeowners Association, asked detailed questions about traffic near US‑85 and Cherry Ranch Road, the potential for scaled expansion (public comments referenced press reports about possible future increases toward 10 gigawatts), and the extent to which the county’s approval would trigger additional review. Fox said neighbors appreciated early outreach but sought assurance that future phases would undergo public review.

Planning director Justin Arnold responded that future expansion would require either a new site plan or an amendment and that county land‑use regulations provide for public hearings and board decisions for additional impacts. The board included that requirement in the approvals: all agency comments must be addressed, access and drainage easements recorded, legal access established, and approval from the Wyoming Department of Transportation must be obtained prior to issuance of the county certificate of review.

Ryan Cox of the State Engineer’s Office told the hearing his team independently reviewed Tallgrass’s drilling logs and interpreted that the proposed wells would be within the Lance Formation, addressing a key neighborhood water concern. “We believe that they will be 100% within the Lance formation when complete,” Cox said.

Supporters at the hearing — including the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, labor union representatives and state officials — emphasized economic benefits, workforce development and strategic value for state and national competitiveness in AI infrastructure. Amber Leyba of the chamber urged the board to approve, citing ripple effects for local businesses; Drew Perkins, chief of staff for Governor Gordon, said state leaders have engaged with applicants to address water and electricity concerns.

Commissioners said they heard both the concerns and the outreach efforts undertaken by Tallgrass and Crusoe, and they framed their approval around the explicit conditions in the staff report. The motions passed by roll call vote with all commissioners voting aye.