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Utility official outlines data‑center basics and local implications; says no NDAs signed
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Summary
MyEnergy Cooperative representatives briefed Winneshiek County supervisors on data‑center types, cooling, noise, energy demand and local siting considerations. The presenter said the cooperative has not signed nondisclosure agreements with developers and emphasized transparency.
Ken Whitcomb, vice president of member services at MyEnergy Cooperative, told the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors the cooperative is doing preparatory work on data‑center market‑readiness and answered supervisors’ questions about cooling, noise, taxes and energy impacts.
Whitcomb described a recently operational 10‑megawatt, fan‑cooled modular facility between New Hampton and Waller (Chickasaw County) and showed photos of crate‑style units and a substation feeding the site. He said the fan‑cooled design generates audible levels ("60 to 80 decibel levels on the fan cooling systems the majority of the time") and that site layout and setbacks influence how noise is experienced. Whitcomb emphasized that the example site uses fan cooling and "would not use any water at all" (i.e., not a water‑cooled, closed‑loop system).
On taxes and incentives, Whitcomb said property tax outcomes depend on a deal’s structure and that some facilities negotiate private tax arrangements; a nearby larger installation’s negotiated tax payment was described in the meeting as roughly $60,000 in one cited example. He also said that utilities and developers typically address transmission upgrades and that developers generally pay for required upgrades so those costs are not shifted to retail members.
Responding to concerns about secrecy, Whitcomb stated, "We have not signed any NDs with any developer at all. We don't plan on doing that at all with any of these data centers. We've been very open with that. No NDAs." He suggested the cooperative seeks to ensure any large customer pays its full cost and that load‑management tools and letters of credit are used to protect other members from subsidizing large loads.
Supervisors asked about employment, local construction activity and whether data centers could support renewables; Whitcomb said small modular sites produce few long‑term on‑site jobs (the example has mostly remote monitoring and occasional technicians) but can create opportunities for renewables and local generation in tandem with load growth.
Whitcomb and Chris Leeson (manager at a development cooperative) invited supervisors to schedule site visits to view noise levels and configurations.
The presentation was positioned as an early, educational step; Whitcomb and supervisors discussed next steps for zoning, objective ordinance criteria (decibel thresholds, setbacks) and the need to avoid nontransparent NDAs in the public‑land use process.
