Data centers in Adair County, Iowa: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Applied Digital, which already operates a 180-megawatt site in Ellendale, North Dakota, proposed a 200-megawatt data center in Adair County in 2024: two 300,000-square-foot buildings beside a NextEra Energy substation south of Adair, with 40 to 70 employees. After residents objected, the county began drafting a zoning ordinance in April 2024 to set the building back from the road and neighboring properties.

The county adopted a moratorium on data centers, high-density computing and battery storage on March 18, 2026, when the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 for Resolution 2026-26, effective immediately with no set end date. A week later, Supervisor Jodie Hoadley presented an updated draft ordinance, prompted by a planned high-voltage line through the Hebron area, that would set environmental and noise restrictions rather than bar developers outright. She said she had shared the draft with Union and Madison counties, and that Union County planned its own moratorium.

There is no public word yet on whether Applied Digital still wants the Fallow Avenue site, or whether the county has adopted a permanent ordinance since the moratorium took effect.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.