Data centers in Jasper County, Missouri: 2 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Jasper County has two data center proposals, one inside Joplin and one in open country with no zoning at all. In Joplin, local developer Jimmer Pinjuv, who owns the 2,064-acre Wildwood Ranch, sought to annex and rezone land at West 20th Street and Central City Road from single-family residential to heavy industrial so it could be sold to an unnamed developer. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the preliminary plan 6-1 on January 12, 2026. On January 20 the City Council held a seven-hour meeting, with at least one person removed, and approved annexing 540 acres and rezoning 600. The data company's name was not disclosed. A listing by the Mokan Partnership, a regional economic development group, advertised the site as offering at least 200 megawatts.

"I feel like many residents feel like this was snuck up on, under the wire," resident Jennifer Jones told KOAM before the vote. Amanda Calderon-Kidston of Joplin Citizens Against Wildwood Ranch Data Center Site cited "excessive consumption of utilities, including electricity and gas" and noise. The city says the proposal was brought to it and is not a city project; planning official Troy Bolander said it is requiring 14 feasibility studies, and Pinjuv is working with Liberty Utilities on a study of the load. The Joplin Sustainable Technology Alliance then tried to force a public vote. Its petition to repeal the annexation gathered 2,832 signatures, more than 2,200 short, and a second against the rezoning gathered 2,348, nearly 2,700 short. The council certified both as insufficient, so neither went to an election.

In the east of the county, Bloomington, Minnesota-based Geronimo Power is planning a "hyperscale" data park of several buildings south of Liberty's La Russell Energy Center, near Sarcoxie, with a solar farm of about 2,000 acres and battery storage north of La Russell to partly power it. The company told the Sarcoxie council about it on March 3, 2026, but the site lies outside city limits. Eastern District Commissioner Jimmy Morris said that because Jasper County has no zoning, "there's not a lot the commissioners have a say in," and that the county's role is mainly road and decommissioning agreements. Between 175 and 200 people packed a meeting in Sarcoxie organized by Rhys Hine's group, Say No to Data Centers: Keep Jasper and Lawrence Counties Rural, and the Joplin opponents. "I think it could be the death of La Russell," said resident Linda Heman, whose family cemetery sits across the road from the site. Geronimo's Lindsay Smith says no final decisions have been made.

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.