The Big Data Debate: a three-part series on whether data centers are likely to come to local communities
photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
A worker prepares a plot of land for an AI data center while a retired power plant being refurbished to provide electricity for the facility rises in the distance Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Independence, Mo.
As large-scale data center projects are being proposed in nearby communities, such as Tonganoxie and De Soto, the Journal-World has examined how the rapid expansion of energy-intensive, “hyperscale” facilities could affect Douglas County and the surrounding area.
Read the entire three-part series by clicking the links below.
• Douglas County’s “de facto pause” on data centers and crypto mines.
• What the City of Lawrence already has decided about data centers.
• Big ideas for big data centers in nearby De Soto and Tonganoxie.
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