Developers pitch 1‑gigawatt data center near Page; council presses for details on power, water, noise and jobs

A developer pitching a data‑center campus south of Page told the City Council on Sept. 24 that the project could ultimately total about 1 gigawatt of capacity on roughly 500 acres and be built in phases.

Keith, representing Ruski (a business the presentation described as wholly owned by Hollybrook), said the full buildout could involve about $10 billion in construction spending and create roughly 500 skilled onsite jobs plus about 1,000 indirect local supply‑chain positions. He said operators and partners would help train local residents and that the project’s long timeframe would enable workforce pipelines with community colleges and universities.

Tasha Harvey of ARP (an engineering and sustainability partner) described industry moves toward closed‑loop or liquid cooling, alternatives to diesel backup generators (including hydrogen or other fuels) and design measures to limit noise, light and ecological impacts. She said contemporary data centers increasingly track carbon accounting and pursue decarbonization goals at corporate and project levels.

Councilors probed multiple technical and community concerns. Councilor Auggie pressed the presenters on the realistic number of permanent jobs, noting many centers have tens of operations staff rather than hundreds; Keith responded that a core of perhaps 50–60 technical staff would be onsite while security, administration and ancillary services plus local supply‑chain jobs would raise the employment totals the company cited.

Noise was a frequent question. Councilor Roundtree said a nearby jurisdiction reported little audible nuisance offsite; presenters acknowledged fans and backup generation produce sound but said acoustic mitigation, screening walls and setbacks are routinely used. The presenters cited an example operator who measured about 45 decibels at a property boundary on a recent campus but emphasized results depend on equipment choice, distances to property lines and local ordinances.

Water use and cooling technology were also scrutinized. Tasha outlined three cooling approaches — air‑cooled, water‑cooled and hybrid adiabatic systems — and said purely air‑cooled data centers exist in Arizona. She and Keith said the company aims for low water intensity (closed‑loop or air‑cooled systems) and would work with the city on infrastructure upgrades.

Power drew sustained questioning. Councilors asked whether the project would draw from the grid or build on‑site generation, and whether any on‑site generation would reduce the city’s utility sales. Keith said options are under study and that private‑wire solutions could be structured to preserve city revenue (for example, paying an equivalent sales‑tax amount on private generation). The presenters also highlighted existing transmission lines near Page and suggested the region’s infrastructure is an asset for connection.

Presenters repeatedly framed the project as a long‑term, low‑service‑impact industrial use that could bring tax revenue and resilience to local utilities, while councilors repeatedly requested binding, papered commitments on issues that affect the community (detailed site footprint, exact water budget and the power‑supply plan). Several council members asked staff to require specific mitigation and contractual obligations before moving forward.

Next steps: Council did not vote on any entitlement or agreement at this meeting. Presenters said they are in an initial site‑selection and engineering phase and are open to further discussion with city staff on site location and contract conditions.