Data centers in Minnehaha County, South Dakota: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Sioux Falls could get its first large data center on former Xcel Energy land between the city and Brandon. Los Angeles-based Gemini Capital bought about 160 acres from Xcel and plans a 500-megawatt Sioux Falls Technology Park south of East Rice Street, next to Xcel's Split Rock Substation. The city council annexed the land in October 2025 and rezoned 145.6 acres to light industrial in January 2026. Planning director Jeff Eckhoff said in spring 2026 the project still needed more approvals and could be denied; no later update on its status has been published.

Residents' objections have centered on power and water. One resident told the council, "This one facility is projected to more than double our entire city's energy consumption." The zoning requires any data center to sit at least 200 feet from the property line, and the city says Gemini may use city water only for domestic purposes, not cooling. Kyle Peters of A1 Development Solutions, which represents Gemini, said "the goal is to get to 500 megawatts of power," but would not name an investment figure or commit to a cooling system.

Xcel says its data center contracts require developers to pay their own costs and early exit fees, but The Dakota Scout reported that nothing in state law requires residential customers to be protected from those costs. Gemini's website says a fully built 500-megawatt campus with closed-loop cooling would use about as much water as two commercial car washes.

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.