A 900-acre data center could be built in Salix, Iowa.

Energy company MidAmerican is interested in developing a campus on the land parcel, which was annexed by the Salix City Council from Woodbury County back in April.

In a letter sent to the Salix City Council on June 8, MidAmerican said that the site, bounded by Old Highway 75, 260th Street, and Charles Avenue, was “being evaluated for possible development as a data center site.

“MidAmerican’s involvement to date has focused on identifying and securing a site that is well-suited for a large electric customer… MidAmerican’s affiliate, Midwest Capital Group, Inc., has acquired options on the property for the purpose of transferring the property to a future customer that would develop the site.”

MidAmerican said at the time that no end-user customer had been chosen, but that any customer would be “required to pay the full cost of the infrastructure needed to serve its load – including generation, transmission, and substation investment – and would also pay the approved electric rates that apply to a customer of this size.”

But Salix officials said on June 10 that MidAmerican had yet to submit a rezoning application for the project.

Opposition to the project, which is still in its early stages, has been fierce.

“Many residents spoke of their continued concerns,” reads the Salix City Council meeting minutes for June 10. “They have many concerns of a data center coming in, and the negative effects it may have on our city. Many have homes near the annexed land, and do not want industry/commercial developments near their homes.”

But only two spoke in favor of the annexation, according to the minutes.

A petition against the facility has received more than 540 signatures at the time of writing.

Woodbury County, which previously had jurisdiction over the 900-acre parcel, passed a moratorium on data centers on June 23 following backlash to these proposed plans. This will not affect MidAmerican’s plans, but it will prevent data centers from being approved in unincorporated county land.

MidAmerican provides energy to most of Iowa and parts of Illinois, South Dakota, and Nebraska. It is unclear how many data center projects it has been involved in.

Salix is located in western Iowa, close to the state’s border with Nebraska.