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.