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Developers say Stratus campus will be self‑powered; commissioners press natural‑gas, batteries and grid impacts
Summary
MIDA representatives told the commission the Stratus campus is designed to generate its own power on‑site and not rely on the local grid; commissioners asked about natural gas dependence, backup systems and whether residents could see higher utility costs.
MIDA presenters said the Stratus campus is being designed to generate the energy it needs on‑site so it would not place additional demands on the local power grid. Hillary Venable told commissioners the project would operate from on‑site generation and that, in an abundance of power in the future, developers might be able to sell excess back to the grid.
Commissioners pressed developers about the use of natural gas versus other sources and the role of battery backup. Austin Pritchett said natural gas is currently the practical option to bring large commercial power online quickly because of available capital and pipeline capacity; he added that the Ruby pipeline crossing Hansel Valley is a catalytic element in the site selection. Commissioners also asked whether batteries or other zero‑water cooling technologies were being considered; developers said designs are not finalized and that some emerging 0‑water cooling and backup technologies are being explored.
