MidAmerican Eyes 900-Acre Data Center in Salix, Iowa, Amid Local Opposition
June 29, 2026
MidAmerican Eyes 900-Acre Data Center in Salix, Iowa, Amid Local Opposition
A proposed 900-acre data center campus in the small town of Salix, Iowa, is drawing intense local scrutiny and opposition, even as energy company MidAmerican moves to secure the site for potential development. The project highlights the growing tension between the rapid expansion of data infrastructure and community concerns over land use and environmental impact.
MidAmerican, a major utility serving most of Iowa and parts of Illinois, South Dakota, and Nebraska, has expressed interest in developing the parcel, which was annexed by the Salix City Council from Woodbury County in April. In a letter to the council on June 8, MidAmerican stated that the site—bounded by Old Highway 75, 260th Street, and Charles Avenue—was “being evaluated for possible development as a data center site.” The company explained that its affiliate, Midwest Capital Group, Inc., had acquired options on the property with the intent of transferring it to a future customer who would develop the site.
MidAmerican noted that no end-user customer had been selected yet, but any future tenant would be required to cover the full cost of necessary infrastructure, including generation, transmission, and substation investment, and would pay approved electric rates for a customer of that scale. However, as of June 10, Salix officials confirmed that MidAmerican had not yet submitted a rezoning application for the project.
The proposal has sparked fierce opposition from local residents. According to the Salix City Council meeting minutes from June 10, “Many residents spoke of their continued concerns” about the data center’s potential negative effects on the city. “Many have homes near the annexed land, and do not want industry/commercial developments near their homes,” the minutes read. Only two residents spoke in favor of the annexation during the meeting. A petition against the facility has garnered more than 540 signatures to date.
In response to the backlash, Woodbury County—which previously had jurisdiction over the 900-acre parcel—passed a moratorium on data centers on June 23. While the moratorium will not affect MidAmerican’s current plans, it will prevent any new data center approvals on unincorporated county land, signaling a broader shift in local policy. Salix, located in western Iowa near the Nebraska border, now finds itself at the center of a debate that mirrors similar conflicts across the U.S., as communities weigh the economic benefits of large-scale data infrastructure against quality-of-life and environmental concerns.
Source: datacenterdynamics
