A proposed four million square foot data center and natural gas power plant could be built on public land just southeast of Boise, earning push back from a prominent environmental advocacy group.
The Washington Sun first reported on the project on Friday as part of 12 potential data centers that could be built on public lands – far more than what was known.
Lisa Young, the director of the Sierra Club’s Idaho Chapter, says energy demand in the Treasure Valley is already high with a significant expansion at Micron and another data center run near Kuna by Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
“I honestly don’t know how we would be able to keep up with that in terms of energy demand, water demand, in the region, which is already so tight,” Young said in a phone interview Monday.
A Boise Bureau of Land Management official confirmed that the proposal also includes an on-site natural gas power plant to supplement energy demand.
It could also receive power from a proposed solar farm near Twin Falls.
“That certainly helps, but it doesn’t cover all of the energy needs and it doesn’t give them a pass for the impact that it’s going to have more broadly,” Young said.
Rhea Energy’s proposal in BLM’s online database shows the potential parcels directly south of Kuna Mora Road and Blacks Creek Reservoir.
According to the Golden Eagle Audubon Society, the reservoir was previously used as a “dumping ground for years.”
The group partnered with the BLM and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to clean up the area over the course of six years and officially dedicated it as a reserve in 2013.
The reservoir is home to more than 150 species of birds, the GEAS said.
“Even when there’s just a small body of water that can be such a critical habitat – especially in the desert – for so many different animals and particularly birds,” the Sierra Club’s Young said.
Rhea Data’s parent company, Arevia Energy, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Neither did the offices of Gov. Brad Little, Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch nor Congressman Russ Fulcher.
Jarod Blades, Field Manager for the Four Rivers Field Office that oversees the project area, said BLM hopes to open public comment on its initial scoping process by the end of this year before it conducts an environmental review.
When asked about the pushback to the potential data center, Blades said there will be “robust opportunities for public input” and public involvement.
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