Central City Council Backs Auram Capital Data Center Proposal

The Central City Council in Iowa is supporting a proposal by Auram Capital Ventures to build an 18,500-square-foot data center. Mayor Don Gray stated the project could generate approximately $19 million in tax revenue, with half of those funds benefiting the city directly.

To facilitate the development, the council is drafting a new ordinance based on a model from Palo. The proposed facility intends to use a closed-loop antifreeze cooling system to minimize water consumption and expects its generators to operate for only 18 hours per year. While city leaders emphasize the financial gains, local residents have raised concerns regarding the project's impact on noise, water, and electricity.

Auram Capital Ventures will host a community Q&A session this Thursday at Bit Brewery to address these concerns. In a separate but related development in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the Sustainability Advisory Committee approved a set of data center considerations for its City Council. The committee emphasized the need for local benefits to offset the concentrated local harms often associated with such developments.