BONNER — An application to transform Bonner's old mill site into a data center has been officially submitted to Missoula County.
Krambu CEO Steve Wood previously said they're looking to build a closed loop system.
Water would be provided from the on-site well system. In a propylene glycol mixture, water would also be used to cool the technology.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DATA CENTER APPLICATION:
Documents show there would be three evaporative coolers to start, using around 50,000 gallons monthly.
The plan says water discharge, besides through evaporation, would be periodic, sending around 5,000 gallons to a treatment facility.
Power usage proposed in the initial community meeting was 3 megawatts.
The facility is capable of powering up to 29 megawatts. Documents report, "The proposed data center will be designed to use up to that amount of power."
In the case of a larger megawatt facility, more cooling towers would need to be built.
The full build of the facility could take years depending on available power and demand. Documents state expansion may be possible up to 100 megawatts.
Krambu plans to buy power from the grid. They say they would pay the electric costs to avoid local customer rates going up.
Documents state, "The data center will be a stand-alone facility that will not require regular staffing."
As for noise, documents indicate the typical cooler generates about 55 decibels, which is about the noise from a small air conditioner.
County planner Jennie Dixon shared, "As I understand it, all of the mechanical equipment will be on the backside of the planer building, at a distance of approximately 460 feet from the residences, with the planer building in between. Based on their submitted information it appears that the noise level will not exceed the maximum decibel allowance. We will also be ensuring that vibration generated by the facility meets the requirement in our Missoula County Zoning Regulations Section 6.6.D.3."
Many in the community have opposed this project.
MTN previously reported that a petition against the data center had nearly 700 signatures two weeks ago. As of May 14, the petition has more than 4,000 signees.
Bonner School Superintendent, while not speaking on behalf of the district, said "Economic growth in our community is good for our school district. It brings potential jobs and the potential for more kids. This mill site was an economic engine for the Milltown community for many decades. Businesses need to come in there and grow for that to continue. The only concerns would be if a particular industry or business comes in that would be a direct danger to the health and safety of the kids. I don’t see the data center having a negative impact on our school and our mission."
MTN also reached out to local businesses in the area, KettleHouse Brewing and Amphitheater and Posh Chocolat, for comment but did not hear back by news time.
The Missoula County Consolidated Land Use and Planning Board will decide if this project goes through or not. They will meet on July 1 at 6 p.m.
According to Missoula County, data centers must be located in industrial zones, must recycle all e-waste, must submit a plan for recycling the equipment at the end of life, and use all new renewable energy.
To view all submitted documents, click here.
