Eastern Iowa Project Advances with 2,000-Acre Campus and Grid + BTM Strategy
Nistar's Eastern Iowa 2,000-acre campus is delivering 45MW grid supply via a 69kV radial tap within 9 months, scaling to 1 GW BTM natural gas generation with multiple major interstate pipelines on site.
Nistar announced today significant progress on its Eastern Iowa data center project. The strategy is to deliver 45MW grid supply via a 69kV radial tap within 9 months, deploying modular AI HPC containers immediately while scaling to behind-the-meter natural gas generation. The expansive 2,000-acre site is positioned for up to 1 GW of BTM generation with 800 MW IT load and grid export capability via a nearby 345kV transmission line into MISO. The project benefits from exceptional fuel security with multiple major interstate pipelines on site, providing firm capacity of approximately 150,000 Dth/d with dual-tap and dual-lateral configurations feasible. The site's ample land enables co-location of solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS) alongside primary generation assets. Municipal water access and existing sewer tie-ins support hyperscale cooling requirements, while diverse fiber pathways provide robust connectivity options. The project is currently zoned as farmland but has secured strong city support for expedited annexation with TIF incentives. Community engagement includes a letter of support from the town mayor, with Nistar working closely with the building & planning board and chamber of commerce. Carbon capture and sequestration capability optionality is being evaluated as part of the long-term development strategy.