Geronimo Power Data Center, Reading, Minnesota

Nobles County, near Reading, Minnesota, said no to the data center, and Geronimo Power said it would look elsewhere. On April 21, 2026 the county commissioners voted 3 to 2 to uphold the planning commission's refusal to change the agricultural preservation zoning ordinance, which killed the proposal. The land is zoned for agricultural preservation, and that zoning is what stopped it. Commissioners Chris Dybevick and Robert Demuth were the two against the motion, preferring an option that upheld the refusal but also told staff to work on alternative amendments.

Geronimo Power had proposed a campus in the Summit Lake, Elk, Bloom and Seward townships near Brewster and Reading, on a site of about one section, 640 acres, and possibly more, with no parcel settled when it came to the county. The campus was put at 400 to 450 megawatts of power, with a 400 megawatt facility targeted for 2030 and an end user possibly involved as early as 2027.

It was pitched alongside Geronimo's Lime Creek and Plum Creek wind farms and a proposed Summit Lake solar farm near Reading, about 1,500 megawatts between them once running. The capital infrastructure was put at more than $4 billion, with hundreds of construction jobs and more than 100 permanent ones. Jordan Burmeister of Geronimo said the company's mission is to bring economic development to rural regions.

After the vote, Emily Morissette, Geronimo's senior manager of marketing and communications, said: "Throughout this process we have listened and learned from local leaders and community members in Nobles County." She said the company would consider alternative options, including some other communities that have expressed interest.