Nearly 150 people last week crammed into a room at the Catholic church across the street from the Bonner Mill industrial site.
They gathered to hear from data center developers eyeing their town. Currently its Krambu’s CEO, Steven Wood
As far as me learning about Bonner Montana, I didn't know about this site until six weeks ago, probably. And I came right out and met them and toured, and I thought, oh, I want to add that to our list of sites that we're evaluating," Wood said.
Friends of Two Rivers, a local nonprofit, hosted the meeting after growing public concerns. Questions centered around noise, water usage and power demands.
Wood said his company is more energy efficient and requires less water than a typical data center. But he said he could not say why because of proprietary technology. He also could not specify how many jobs it would provide.
Krambu engineer Amber Orr said the facility will start with 3 megawatts of power and then expand. That could require additional electrical infrastructure like transmission lines.
According to the EPA, 1 megawatt is enough to power just over 700 homes.
"We have just submitted a request for up to three megawatts, and that would be sourced externally, not here locally with Northwest energy. So, it would have absolutely no effect to your rates," Orr said.
This isn’t the first time Bonner has been the target for an industrial project like this. A bitcoin mine ran at the same mill site until 2020. The noise pollution bothered residents and disrupted classes at the nearby elementary school. In response, Missoula County passed stricter zoning regulations, largely targeting data centers’ noise and light pollution.
The site sits next to the Blackfoot River. Property manager Mike Heisey said the industrial park will instead use the onsite wells.
We're not touching the Blackfoot River," Heisey said. "And we're not drawing enough water that would ever make any slightest bit of difference to the Blackfoot River. There's no discharge into the river.
Heisey said zoning, plus the water and power constraints mean the local community is protected from potential impacts. He said he’s had a hard time finding a new tenant , since building materials company Universal Forest Products announced its closure last fall.
Krambu submitted an application to the county this week and has plans to move fast if approved. Wood told the Missoula Current the first phase of the data center could be up and running by June.
Members of the public can comment through the county’s Missoula Voice portal.
