Geronimo Power CEO Blake Nixon and Permitting Lead Marta Lasch hosted a media briefing last week, giving area news sources a chance to ask questions about the proposed Powered Data Park being considered in Nobles County.
At the time of the briefing, a comment period had recently opened in regard to the scoping document, part of the Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) process.
According to Lasch, the AUAR is used to study the possible environmental effects on roads, wildlife, air quality, water use and more that come with one of their projects. It is a two-step process – one step is designing the study (scoping the process) and the next step would be conducting the study. Nixon, who has been with Geronimo Power since its inception 21 years ago, said the company invites comments and conversation, hoping to combat the non-transparent, NDA-ridden projects that other data centers have pushed forward.
“We’ve had close to 100 projects,” Nixon said. “And we invite dialog. Transparency is how we build trust.”
The data center proposed in Nobles County is the first for Geronimo, but they have been in the wind turbine and solar power field for 21 years. Nixon said they got into the business when Noel Rahn of Mountain Lake was approached as a landowner by a wind turbine company.
“He didn’t like it and didn’t trust the people,” Nixon said. “So he said we should do it ourselves. We started this business solely to put turbines on his farms.”
With several projects in Murray County currently underway, the idea of a data center seemed a natural next step – what Nixon called a data center with its own power supply.
Comments regarding the 400-megawatt data center’s scoping process are being accepted until April 16. They can be made via mail or email.
“We’re inviting good, solid comments and concerns,” Nixon said, acknowledging that the concerns are rational and should be discussed. “We’ve been all over this area and have had nothing but positive experiences.”
Nixon stated that Geronimo expected some pushback and negativity but admitted some of it has been “a bit meaner than expected.”
“We prefer engaging versus fighting,” he said, adding that while the public might be seeing negative online comments, Geronimo is receiving hundreds of supportive communications.
Anyone who would like to read the scoping document can visit https://webapp.pca.state. mn.us/eqb-search/projectdetail/ 266340?siId=266340PROJ0000000002. Questions and comments can be submitted via email to noblesauar@co.nobles.mn.us or by physical mail to Mark Koster, Nobles County Environmental Services, 960 Diagonal Road, Worthington, MN 56187.
