Data center developer holds community meeting on potential Sulphur Springs project

HOPKINS COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - Residents of an East Texas community met Thursday night to learn more about a potential project in their backyard.

CyrusOne, a data center developer, held a community meeting regarding a potential data center just outside the Sulphur Springs city limits. The project would sit on the old Thermo mine.

Residents will got chance to ask the developer questions at the Hopkins County Civic Center on Thursday evening.

The property was previously under development by another company, MSB Global. They are no longer involved in the project after ongoing legal battles involving the land.

The project, which Cyrus One says, “could ultimately include multiple data center buildings developed over time,” is still under consideration and is not a done deal.

“We are committed to having a conversation with the community before we fully scope that out with the City of Sulphur Springs,” said Katy Hancock with CyrusOne.

The project could bring a $2.6 billion investment to the community and 30 to 40 permanent jobs per data center building. There could be over a thousand construction jobs for a multi-year construction period.

The data center would be self-powered using natural gas, but grid connection could be a possibility as the campus grows. The company says they would pay for any infrastructure upgrades.

Each building would use around a thousand gallons of water a day. According to the EPA, an average family of four uses about 400 gallons of water a day at home.

Several residents raised concerns about potential noise pollution.

“There are times we can hear Interstate 30, and it’s four miles away, said one resident. ”Please tell me how you are going to mitigate sound when we can hear Interstate 30."

While the scope of the project isn’t determined, the company said the center would emit the noise level of a typical conversation.

The land for the project is tied up in ongoing legal battles. The former landowner is suing the City of Sulphur Springs and the former developer. They allege the City went against the terms of the land deed, which said they couldn’t have means of power generation.

“If we don’t find a solution, and the solution has to be through the litigation process,” said Gene Alessandrini with CyrusOne, “That would just push the data project out.”

A judge has ruled that the land can’t have means of power generation while lawyers prepare for trial, which is set for next year.

The company says they will return for another meeting before any announcements are made.