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Audubon County imposes temporary moratoriums on utility‑scale battery storage and commercial data centers
Summary
The Audubon County Board of Supervisors on May 5, 2026 adopted temporary moratoriums on utility‑scale battery energy storage systems and commercial data centers through May 1, 2027 to allow Planning & Zoning and county staff time to draft permanent ordinances and coordinate with outside agencies.
The Audubon County Board of Supervisors voted on May 5, 2026 to impose temporary moratoriums on utility‑scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) and on commercial data centers while the county develops permanent zoning standards.
The board adopted Resolution 2026‑25, extending a temporary moratorium on utility‑scale BESS, and Resolution 2026‑27, imposing a temporary moratorium on commercial data centers. Both resolutions take effect immediately and remain in force through May 1, 2027, or until a permanent ordinance is passed. The motions were approved by the board during a public hearing that began at 10:03 a.m. (motions and vote recorded by the board minutes).
Board members and county staff said the county lacks a specific ordinance for BESS and for data center development and that additional time is needed for Planning & Zoning and the board to gather information and coordinate with other agencies. EMA Director Tyler Thygesen and other speakers raised siting and infrastructure concerns during the hearing. Mike Blum described a commercially operated, air‑cooled data center in Manning, Iowa and provided supervisors with a contact for follow‑up information. The resolution for data centers explicitly defines such facilities as buildings and associated equipment used primarily for storage, management, processing and transmission of digital data and notes that commercial cryptocurrency mining and processing fall under the definition.
The moratoriums pause acceptance or processing of applications for the cited uses so that the county can develop zoning standards that, according to the resolutions, seek to protect residents’ life, health and safety and to safeguard infrastructure, natural resources and property rights. Planning & Zoning staff and the board will review technical, safety and land‑use requirements and coordinate with outside agencies before returning to the board with proposed permanent language.
The moratorium resolutions do not themselves approve or deny any specific project. The county clerk’s minutes record the public hearings as opened and closed on May 5; the resolutions list the temporary effective period and the process for adopting permanent ordinances as the next step.
