Lifting the Cloud: Local Answers About Data Centers

Few topics are generating more discussion in communities across the Northwest, and right here in our backyard, than data centers. Supporters point to new jobs, tax revenue, and economic growth, while others have questions about water use, power demand, and community impacts. All these are important questions to be asking right now. Columbia REA is not in a position to address all these different topics, but we do want to provide you with information about some of the more commonly asked questions to help you understand and make your own informed decisions.

Q: What is a data center?
Behind every email, online purchase, streamed movie, and cloud-based application is a data center. Data centers are the facilities that power many of the digital services we use every day, including email, social media, online shopping, cloud storage, streaming services and health records. They house computer servers and networking equipment that support internet and cloud-based computing. Data centers are not new, first emerging in the 1940s to accommodate early computing systems developed for the U.S. military. Their numbers grew quickly the personal computer revolution of the 1990s.

Q: How many jobs will the Wallula data center project create?
Developers estimate the proposed Walla Walla campus could create approximately 120 to 150 full-time jobs, along with hundreds of construction jobs during development. Career opportunities may include technicians, engineers, electricians, HVAC specialists, facility managers, and security personnel.

Q: Will the project receive special tax breaks?
No. The developers of the data center have stated that they will pay 100% of their property taxes, with revenues supporting local schools, roads, emergency services, and other public services.

Q: How much water will the facility use?
The campus is expected to use approximately 14 million gallons of cooling water annually, according to data center representatives. This is about 25% of the water typically used by a similarly sized agricultural operation in the region, and less than half of what an average pacific northwest golf course would use in a year. The project also proposes using outside-air cooling most of the year to reduce water demand.

Q: Will data centers increase electric rates for residents?
No. The data center will be assigned a unique rate class, and the developer is responsible for paying all costs associated with serving its facilities, including necessary infrastructure and security upgrades.

Data centers raise complex issues, and reasonable people may see both benefits and concerns. Our goal is not to tell members what to think, but to provide reliable information that is easy to understand. We will continue to share what we know about potential electric service impacts, member protections, and how this, or any future largeload project, may affect your co-op.