Nobles County Data Center — Geronimo Energy
Nobles County, Nobles County, Minnesota
CRITICAL RISK
Trajectory: SF 4298 statewide moratorium bill introduced. SF 608 (effective June 2025) restricts enterprise data centers to industrial districts. Planning commission voted against text amendment allowing DCs.
Last updated 2026-03-29
Data centers are categorically prohibited in Nobles County's agricultural zones. The planning commission voted against a text amendment to change that. The county attorney said a moratorium would be "legally moot" because the existing ordinance already blocks data centers. And the Minnesota legislature introduced SF 4298 — a statewide moratorium bill — just in case anyone had ideas.
Data centers are prohibited in the Agricultural Preservation district. The planning commission voted against the text amendment to allow them. The zoning code is the moratorium.
Geronimo Energy wants to build a 400-1,000 MW campus with behind-the-meter 960 MW gas generation — because the rural grid cannot support the load. This is not a data center. It is a private power plant that happens to host servers.
SF 4298 proposes a statewide moratorium. SF 608 (already law) restricts data centers to industrial districts. MCEA has sued five Minnesota cities advancing DC projects.
Planning Commissioner Jay Clarke: "Why are we making exceptions for corporate America when we won't make exceptions for our own residents?"
Inside this score
How the 100 points break down.
Each dimension is scored out of its own weight, and the four add up to the score. A higher score is a clearer market-level path; it is not a likelihood of approval for a parcel.
- Regulatory Riskweight 302 / 30
What it reads, and where it stops
Measures zoning classification, approval pathway type (by-right, CUP, rezoning), moratorium status, and regulatory trajectory. Higher scores indicate clearer regulatory paths.
Reads the written route and the stated direction of a market's rules as of the edition date. It does not read a particular parcel's zoning, and a rule recorded here can change at the next meeting of the body.
- Infrastructure Readinessweight 255 / 25
What it reads, and where it stops
Measures utility capacity, grid interconnection availability, water supply adequacy, and infrastructure investment commitments. Higher scores indicate better infrastructure readiness.
Reads the utility, grid, water and investment record for the market. It does not confirm capacity at a given site, and delivery timelines for power and water are separate from entitlement risk.
- Opposition Densityweight 255 / 25
What it reads, and where it stops
Measures organized opposition groups, petition scale, public hearing attendance, political consequences (elections, recalls), and legal challenges. Higher scores indicate less opposition.
Reads organised opposition that shows on the public record: groups, petitions, hearings, elections and legal challenges. A quiet record is not evidence of support, and a loud one is not a count of votes.
- Approval Timelineweight 202 / 20
What it reads, and where it stops
Measures historical approval durations, number of sequential approval steps, legal challenges affecting timeline, and demonstrated fast-track capabilities. Higher scores indicate faster approvals.
Reads how long recorded approvals have taken and how many sequential steps they needed. Past duration is a record of what happened, not a schedule for the next application.
2 + 5 + 5 + 2 = 14 of 100 · Critical Risk
Dimension Breakdown
Four dimensions that determine entitlement feasibility.
Regulatory Risk
30 pts
Data centers categorically prohibited in the Agricultural Preservation zoning district. Planning commission voted against text amendment to allow DCs as conditional use. SF 4298 proposes statewide moratorium.
Score: 2/30. Data centers are categorically prohibited in the Agricultural Preservation district. The planning commission recommended against the text amendment. SF 4298 proposes a statewide moratorium. SF 608 already restricts DCs to industrial districts.
Infrastructure Readiness
25 pts
Rural southwest Minnesota served by cooperative utilities. The 400-1,000 MW demand would require massive new transmission infrastructure that does not exist. Geronimo plans behind-the-meter 960 MW gas generation.
Score: 5/25. Rural southwest Minnesota has no infrastructure for 400-1,000 MW demand. Geronimo is proposing 960 MW of behind-the-meter gas generation because the grid cannot deliver it. This would make the facility one of the largest single-point emitters in Minnesota.
Opposition Density
25 pts
Change.org petition "Stop the Nobles County Mega Data Center" with 874 signatures. Planning commission voted against after dozens of residents testified. Minnesota Catholic Conference supports SF 4298. MCEA sued five Minnesota cities.
Score: 5/25. 874-signature petition, planning commission testimony, Minnesota Catholic Conference support for SF 4298, and MCEA lawsuits against five Minnesota cities. The opposition is institutional, not just grassroots.
Approval Timeline
20 pts
Requires text amendment (planning commission recommended against), AUAR environmental review (comment period through April 2026), SF 608 compliance, and conditional use permit. Geronimo targets 2027 groundbreaking, 2030 completion.
Score: 2/20. Text amendment (rejected), AUAR environmental review (comment period through April 2026), SF 608 compliance, conditional use permit. Geronimo targets 2027 groundbreaking — optimistic given the regulatory environment.
Key Findings
What the record shows.
Data centers categorically prohibited in Nobles County Agricultural Preservation zoning district.
Nobles County Planning and Zoning CommissionPlanning commission voted against the text amendment allowing DCs on February 4, 2026.
Worthington Daily GlobeSF 4298 proposes statewide moratorium on new data center permits introduced March 9, 2026.
Minnesota Revisor of Statutes — SF 4298County Attorney stated moratorium is legally moot because existing ordinance already prohibits data centers.
Worthington Daily GlobeRecorded Acts
Dated acts on the public record.
Nobles County Planning Commission
Voted against the text amendment allowing data centers in the agricultural district.
Opposition Profile
Who is organizing.
Change.org petition "Stop the Nobles County Mega Data Center" — 874 signatures
Residents testified against at February 4, 2026 public hearing
Minnesota Catholic Conference formally supports SF 4298
MCEA sued five Minnesota cities advancing data center projects
Timeline
How it unfolded.
February 4, 2026
Planning commission voted against text amendment allowing DCs.
March 11, 2026
County board approved AUAR drafts 4-1.
April 16, 2026
AUAR comment period closes.
Dates on the record
Dates on the record.
As of the 29 Mar 2026 edition
AUAR comment period closes.
Passed · check the current record
Dated after the edition in the market's timeline
Only dates that this market's own timeline gives. No outcome is named. The dated acts that have already happened are in the timeline above.
Known Risks
What could change.
Active risk factors documented in public record.
Data centers categorically prohibited in agricultural zones
Rural infrastructure insufficient for 400-1,000 MW demand
Statewide moratorium bill introduced
Planning commission recommended against text amendment
Recommendation
CRITICAL RISK — Score 14/100
Critical Risk. Data centers are prohibited by existing zoning. Planning commission and state legislature both trending restrictive.
From the record
What the public record holds for Nobles County.
Each case file below is a verified public record with its sources attached; each note is a dated research note. They sit beside this market's score; they do not change it.
Case files elsewhere in Minnesota
- Minneapolis reversed two Burger King drive-through certificate denialsRetail & restaurants · Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sector page: Data centers
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