Harmony officials hold public forum on potential data-center development; no decisions made

Harmony city leaders, utility partners and a regional energy developer held a public forum on Oct. 7 to discuss a potential data-center development north of town, emphasizing that no project has been approved and no votes were taken.

Mayor Steve Donney opened the joint meeting of the Harmony City Council, the Economic Development Authority and the Planning and Zoning Board and said the session was intended to inform residents and gather feedback; he noted that no action items would be presented. City Administrator Alissa Stelpflug framed the discussion around Harmony’s development goals—retaining and attracting commercial opportunity, supporting local businesses, preserving downtown character—and the city’s stated sustainability priorities, including water protection, noise mitigation, renewable energy and electric-vehicle infrastructure.

Representatives from MiEnergy described technical and siting considerations. Brian Krambeer said MiEnergy “holds an option, not ownership, on 60 acres of land north of town” and pointed to the site’s proximity to a 69 kV transmission line and nearby institutions such as Winona State University, Luther College and the Mayo Clinic as factors that can make the site suitable for edge data centers. Kent Witcomb described modular and edge centers, noting modular facilities often occupy one to ten acres and typically use air or closed-loop liquid cooling; Witcomb added that MiEnergy would require centers to “shut down during peak energy periods to maintain grid reliability and affordability.”

Chris Geisen of Dairyland Power discussed potential economic effects and cited an example: the CH Robinson data center in Oronoco, which he said contributes “approximately $151,000 annually in property taxes, representing about 15 percent” of that locality’s levy. Geisen stressed Harmony is not being pursued for hyperscale projects and that potential local benefits would depend on negotiated tax agreements and the final project type.

During a public question-and-answer period, community members raised questions about kilowatt-hour rates, job-creation estimates, environmental impacts, infrastructure upgrades and whether the city or partners would enter nondisclosure agreements. Panelists said electricity rates would be determined by market pricing and project terms; they gave staffing estimates of about three to six employees for some modular centers and up to about twenty for larger edge centers, and they said no nondisclosure agreements had been signed by the City of Harmony, MiEnergy, or Dairyland Power. Mayor Donney reiterated that elected officials would make any future decisions.

Panelists also addressed renewable-energy compliance and resource-use concerns. They noted Minnesota’s 2040 carbon-free mandate and said utilities, including Dairyland Power, are expanding renewable portfolios and may use renewable energy credits to help meet benchmarks if required. On water and waste, presenters said any future project would be designed to minimize water consumption, meet state permitting and local zoning standards, and place any necessary pretreatment or upgrade responsibilities on the developer. The panel described ongoing battery-storage work in the region—citing a pairing of a two-megawatt solar array with a one-megawatt battery offering four hours of storage—as one avenue for adding flexible resources to the grid.

No developer, contract or formal proposal was identified during the meeting. City staff and EDA representatives said the forum was intended to gather community input and to inform any potential zoning updates; breakout tables with city, MiEnergy and Dairyland representatives were available after the formal session for attendees to ask follow-up questions. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.