Data centers in Kings County, California: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Global Stack, a California company, wants to put what it calls an emergency-resilience computing unit on two to five acres of the Kings Fairgrounds in Hanford, one of more than 50 fairgrounds it is pursuing statewide at roughly $20 million a site. The fair board, not the city or county, decides, because the fairgrounds are state property. No agreement has been announced, and the payment to the fair has not been disclosed.

The company describes the units as "compact, self-contained appliances" about the size of a shipping container, cooled by a closed loop that "consumes effectively no water." It has not said how much power they would draw beyond calling it comparable to ordinary commercial use. Dena Rizzardo, chief executive of the Kings and Tulare fairgrounds, said it "is not for the construction of a traditional hyperscale commercial data center." More than 30 people spoke against it at the July 20 fair board meeting, citing secrecy, noise and utility bills.

Hanford has shut its own door. The city issued a statement on August 15 opposing all data centers, and on August 18 the council declined to change its zoning to allow them, so they cannot be approved inside city limits. "It defaults to them not being allowed," said assistant city manager Jason Waters, though he noted that state agencies owning land in the city may not be bound by local zoning. Mayor Mark Kairis said the city had not been consulted on the fairground plan.

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.