Nobles County Powered Data Park: Virtual Open House
Geronimo Power recently hosted its first Open House for the Nobles County Powered Data Park on January 20-21. Approximately 20–25 Geronimo Power team members, along with partners from Nobles Cooperative Electric and consultants at Kimley-Horn and Westwood Professional Services, came together to welcome the community, answer questions, and share information about the project.
Couldn’t make it in person? Explore our virtual Open House below and follow us on Facebook to stay connected and hear about future events!
A data center is a secure facility that stores, processes, and moves the digital information we rely on every day. Thousands of servers work with advanced networking, security, cooling, and backup power to operate around the clock. Though often unseen, data centers support essential services like banking, healthcare, GPS, communications, and more, making them critical infrastructure for daily life and public safety.
Speaker: Sean LeRoy - Data Centers Lead Project Developer, Geronimo Power
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Visitors were guided through a detailed rendering of the proposed site, highlighting its thoughtful design features, including buffers, stormwater management systems, access points, and supporting infrastructure. Visitors also explored a map showing the proposed data center location, along with a development timeline that outlines how the data center and generation projects are expected to progress from planning through construction and into operations.
Speaker: Sean Lawler - Senior Manager, Project Development, Geronimo Power
Speaker: Jordan Burmeister - Senior Director, Development, Geronimo Power
Speaker: Lee Bjerk - Site Acquisition Manager, Geronimo Power
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This station highlighted the local power projects that will help power the data park, including Lime Creek Wind, Plum Creek Wind I & II, and Summit Lake Solar & Storage. Visitors learned how wind, solar, and energy storage work together to provide reliable, long-term power. The discussion underscored the benefits of pairing data centers with locally sourced generation.
Speaker: Sidney Neuse - Senior Project Developer, Geronimo Power
Speaker: Karsen Rumpf - Senior Project Developer, Project Development
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This station explained the data center’s closed-loop cooling system using a familiar comparison: a car radiator. First, coolant fluid flows through the internal system, picking up heat from the servers. That warm fluid then passes through a heat exchanger, dissipating heat into the fluid of the external cooling system. The cooled fluid is then recirculated into the server stacks through the internal system. Finally, the warm fluid of the external system is circulated through chillers on the outside of the facility, dissipating heat into the air.
Speaker: Mike Brandt - Development Services Engineer and Project Manager, Kimley-Horn
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This station highlighted the comprehensive permitting and environmental review process guiding the project. Visitors learned how factors like water usage, wildlife, land use, and noise are evaluated in coordination with regulatory agencies. State standards require that noise reaching nearby homes remain below 50 decibels at night—about the same level as a household refrigerator. Day-to-day operations are expected to be quiet and generally below typical rural background noise for neighbors of the project.
Speakers: Marta Lasch - Permitting Lead, Geronimo Power
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Here, Paul and David walked through example images of what the construction process of a data center looks like. Images helped visitors understand how the site evolves from early groundwork to a completed facility. The display provided a general representation of the construction process of some data center buildings.
Speakers: David Bade - Director, Commercial Market at Westwood Professional Services
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Visitors learned how electric rates are structured and how large customers, such as data centers, can support grid reliability. Data centers pay the full cost of the infrastructure they require while also contributing to existing system investments. Through our partnership with Nobles Cooperative Electric, this model can help stabilize electric rates over time while strengthening reliability and affordability for the broader community.
Speakers: Cody Hansen - Line Superintendent, Nobles Cooperative Electric
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This overview focused on the project’s economic benefits, including job creation, long-term tax revenue, and charitable giving. Visitors learned how the data center would positively impact Nobles County, Elk Township, and the Worthington School District over the life of the project. In total, the data center is estimated to create more than 1,000 construction jobs,100 full-time positions, $12.8 million in annual tax revenue, $4 billion of capital infrastructure, and establish a $4 million charitable fund over the first 20 years of operation.
Speaker: Glenn Thuringer - Project Development Liaison, Geronimo Power
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This station emphasized community engagement as a core part of Geronimo Power’s approach. Visitors learned how the team prioritizes transparency and partnership through open houses, conversations, charitable giving, volunteering, and education. The station also highlighted that our data center will contribute $4 million over the first 20 years of operation. These funds will be shaped by local input and need focused on long-term community impact.
Speaker: Kenna Bancroft - Community Engagement Specialist, Geronimo Power
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