Ottawa, Kansas voters back 10-year ban on data centers over 25MW

Voters in Ottawa, Kansas approved a 10-year moratorium on data centers larger than 25MW, backing it with 71.85% of the vote in last week's midterm elections, Data Center Dynamics reported.

The ordinance bars data centers with capacity above 25MW in Ottawa for a decade. Projects at or below that threshold remain outside the ban.

For anyone underwriting a Kansas site, the vote draws a capacity line: above 25MW is off the table in Ottawa for ten years. Smaller distribution and edge buildings remain outside the ordinance.

The campaign targeted a 450MW facility proposed for Proximity Park, a 300-acre site in Ottawa. Ottawa United organized against the facility.

Jessica Christopher of Ottawa United told KMBC News that the group drew Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters, "which is why we named it Ottawa United."

That project was already dead before the vote. The city commission had agreed to sell the land to Lightfield Energy LLC for a data center and a natural gas plant, but after more than 18 months of talks no development agreement was reached and councilors terminated the sale in September, Data Center Dynamics reported.

Ottawa was not alone on the ballot. Emporia and El Dorado approved data center moratoriums in last week's elections, and voters across the US backed more than 40 similar measures, Data Center Dynamics reported.

The Lightfield plan paired compute with generation on the same land. The ballot question addressed only the data center, not the plant.