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Last Update: 10/27/2026 at 5:34 AM EST
Data Centers in the Dakotas and Neighboring Iowa
Coverage from KELOLAND, InForum, and others
Data-center proposals across North Dakota, South Dakota, and adjacent Iowa counties bring together questions of siting, local authority, public information, and infrastructure capacity.
In North Dakota, legislative debate over nondisclosure agreements and local model-ordinance efforts illustrate how officials and communities weigh project transparency and permitting against electricity demand, water use, and environmental effects. These recurring issues shape how communities evaluate development and how state and local rules guide decisions.
Looking Back
164 Day Timeline
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All Articles47 articles
Important
South Dakota lawmakers and local governments adopted and considered data-center rules in 2026 to manage electricity demand, water use, cooling, zoning and community impacts statewide.
8/28/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Montana-Dakota Utilities filings to the North Dakota Public Service Commission project that Applied Digital's Ellendale facility will generate transmission-rider and fuel-and-power benefits for ratepayers from 2023-2026.
7/20/2026 • Power Procurement & Grid • General
Oliver County Commission approved Applied Digital’s data center building permit in central North Dakota, imposing conditions on water hauling, septic disposal, noise limits, traffic access, and a pending reclamation-bond solution.
7/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Applied Digital’s Ellendale, North Dakota project is cited alongside Williston to show how community outreach and power planning affect data-center disputes.
7/20/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Sioux County officials are considering data center zoning rules requiring approved water, electricity, and noise studies, closed-loop cooling, and developer contributions before projects proceed in Iowa.
9/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Morton County planners recommended revised data center zoning rules in North Dakota on Wednesday as statewide tracked capacity reached 3,927 megawatts across 26 facilities.
8/27/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Oliver County commissioners considered rezoning for Applied Digital's third North Dakota data center near Hanover and Center after signing a July 10 road-use agreement.
7/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Applied Digital and Ellendale officials discussed the campus's projected jobs, population growth, and tax revenue at the Lignite Energy Council's annual conference in North Dakota.
9/9/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Applied Digital is seeking to build a 280-megawatt data center near Harwood, North Dakota, with construction potentially starting in September amid local and national opposition.
9/5/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
A North Dakota coalition developed a model ordinance for data center siting after months of study, emphasizing electricity, water, environmental, and safety evaluations.
6/23/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
The Minot Planning Commission approved a proposed data center ordinance after a public hearing, limiting future facilities to an industrial area east of the Minot airport.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
The EPA proposed reducing public input for minor industrial air permits, prompting Rapid City officials and South Dakota critics to seek stronger local review of data centers.
9/5/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Grand Forks County and Grand Forks, North Dakota, are preparing data-center ordinances and utility planning before any new facility is proposed, amid regional development and local concerns.
9/16/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
North Dakota lawmakers will consider Senate Bill 2406 in a special session to restrict public-agency NDAs affecting data center permits and zoning decisions statewide.
9/1/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Interesting
Proposed and operating data centers in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, may affect nearby homes through land use, construction, noise, utilities, traffic, and commercial development, but available comparisons show no automatic property-value effect.
9/18/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
North Dakota candidates Signe Snortland and Vern Thompson are campaigning against or questioning data center development, including Stark Energy's proposed Mandan project, during the current election cycle.
8/6/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Mandan residents questioned Stark Power's proposed data center and natural gas generation campus during a public meeting near the project site in Mandan, North Dakota.
8/21/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Morton County commissioners approved data center siting and operating standards Thursday in Morton County, North Dakota.
9/11/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Frank Kloucek proposed a one-year moratorium on new artificial intelligence data centers in South Dakota during the current Public Utilities Commission campaign, while Don Haggar defended case-by-case regulation under newly enacted state laws.
9/1/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Vern Thompson presented a North Dakota data center platform Friday in Harwood that includes a one-year permit moratorium and a proposed ban on official nondisclosure agreements.
8/29/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
North Dakota lawmakers will consider a temporary nondisclosure agreement ban for industrial developments during a September special session in Bismarck.
8/17/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Vermillion's Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed six data center ordinances on August 10, 2026, in Vermillion, South Dakota, but deferred action amid resident concerns.
8/10/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Morton County, North Dakota, sought public input in Mandan during a Planning and Zoning meeting on revised data-center zoning standards after a September 2024 moratorium.
7/23/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
North Dakota cities and counties, with TechND and data-center industry input, developed a model ordinance in response to community concerns about data-center power, water, and environmental impacts.
6/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Robert Mayo published a North Dakota State University guide on data center development as North Dakota evaluates projects near Fargo, Bismarck, Mandan, Williston, and Ellendale.
8/11/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Montana-Dakota Utilities filings show Applied Digital will pay nearly $32 million for Ellendale transmission infrastructure from 2023 through 2026 as North Dakota lawmakers review data-center rules.
7/28/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
During the North Dakota agriculture commissioner campaign, Vern Thompson challenged state backing for energy projects tied to potential data center growth, citing community concerns about land, power, and water.
9/28/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Mandan residents and local presenters held a public meeting in Mandan, North Dakota, raising concerns about data-center regulations, environmental effects, worker housing, and taxpayer costs.
9/15/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Geronimo Power is considering acquiring 624.55 acres in Durbin Township near Mapleton, North Dakota, where neighboring residents and officials said they had received little direct information.
9/12/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Vern Thompson urged a one-year moratorium on North Dakota data-center development during an Aug. 28 forum in Harwood, citing local concerns about Applied Digital's planned facility.
8/28/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
A North Dakota legislative committee met in Bismarck on data centers and artificial intelligence, hearing residents request stronger zoning input and moratorium options amid electricity demand concerns.
7/15/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Oliver County residents and officials are disputing data-center development and scrutinizing State's Attorney Patrick Waters's connections to a news outlet operated by Waters's stepson in North Dakota.
8/27/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
During a gubernatorial debate in South Dakota ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Dan Ahlers and Larry Rhoden addressed local control and state requirements for data center power costs and water use.
9/28/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Sioux Falls Mayor Christine Erickson said during a recent media briefing that Sioux Falls should develop clear data-center rules with public participation instead of imposing a moratorium.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Geronimo Power, through CCDC ND LLC, signed a potential land purchase agreement for 624.55 acres near Casselton, North Dakota, but has not confirmed a data center purchase or permit application.
9/3/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Sagebrush Infrastructure Partners secured one-year land purchase options in Mandan as Mandan’s planning process advances a draft data center zoning ordinance with setbacks and noise-study requirements.
7/23/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
In Bismarck, North Dakota lawmakers and Tony Clark discussed 2030 electricity-use projections for AI data centers and concerns about grid capacity and cost allocation.
7/15/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
North Dakota senators rejected Senate Bill 2406 during a special session in North Dakota, declining to ban nondisclosure agreements between government entities and data center developers.
9/3/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
North Dakota lawmakers heard residents and industry representatives debate data center permitting and transparency during a special-session meeting in North Dakota, while legislators prepared to consider temporary nondisclosure agreement restrictions.
9/1/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Jordan Lamb, CEO of Oahe Electric Cooperative, argues South Dakota should enable data-center growth by aligning permitting and grid upgrades to planned load growth.
6/19/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Additional
North Dakota legislative candidates in the Grand Forks area discussed data center oversight ahead of the January session, following September's Senate rejection of a proposed nondisclosure agreement ban.
10/17/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Warrey will lead a North Dakota interim committee studying data centers, water and electricity impacts, and AI regulation ahead of the January 2027 session.
6/26/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
North Dakota lawmakers announced an interim Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Committee to study data center water and electricity impacts and AI regulation ahead of the 2027 legislative session.
6/25/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Barnes County commissioners in North Dakota imposed a six-month moratorium on new data centers as officials cited electric transmission and generation constraints and unresolved transparency and siting coordination issues.
5/27/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden and Democratic candidate Dan Ahlers are debating data-center regulation and hyperscale development before November’s general election in South Dakota.
9/3/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
North Dakota's Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Committee will hear presentations and public comment Monday at the Capitol in Bismarck on AI and proposed data center development.
8/29/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong discussed Senate Bill No. 2406, which would restrict agency nondisclosure agreements for data centers, Tuesday in Bismarck before the legislative special session.
9/1/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General