Public hearing on proposed data center near Missoula postponed

A public hearing on a proposed data center project in Bonner, just east of Missoula, has been delayed indefinitely.

The Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board was scheduled to take up the project on July 1. But the developer, a company called Krambu, apparently needed more time to prepare.

"The Bonner Data Center project developer is continuing to finalize materials for presentation to the Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board," the county wrote on a page dedicated to the project. "As a result, the anticipated July 1 public hearing before the Board will change. Once the new hearing date has been determined, the County will provide it here."

The website for the project is missoulacountyvoice.com/bonner-data-center.

The proposal is for a data center that could eventually use up to 100 megawatts. It would be located at 9314 Bonner Mill Road, in the old UFP Edge building.

Krambu representatives have said previously that they're trying to build an "artificial intelligence factory" at the site.

The Land Use Board must decide whether the proposed industrial use at the site would adversely impact nearby residential properties.

"The proposed data center would operate continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days per week, with minimal on-site staffing and relatively limited vehicle traffic associated primarily with maintenance and service visits," wrote county planner Jennie Dixon. "The cooling system (would) consist of a combination of adiabatic and evaporative cooling towers. The evaporative units would use water supplied from the site's existing fire suppression well rather than the domestic well system serving nearby residences. The applicant has indicated that no backup generators are proposed in the event of power outage."