LANSING, N.Y. — The Town of Lansing could soon be home to an Artificial Intelligence Data Center. The company behind the project is TeraWulf, an energy and infrastructure company.
It will be where the old Cayula Coal Plant Site was, right on Cayuga Lake. The lease of the land owned by Cayuga Operating Company was approved in August. Now, the decision of whether the data center will be able to be built there is in the hands of the Town Planning Board.
TeraWulf is currently in the application process with the Town of Lansing. This is to build and use the 180-acre land. According to TeraWulf, the goal is to build a data campus, full of high-performance computer companies, with AI in mind.
Community members in and around Lansing are worried about how this could impact the environment. Many are concerned that this would mean drawing water from Cayuga Lake in and pushing out warm water.
TeraWulf said this will not happen. Instead, the company will be using a closed-loop system for water.
Another concern for neighbors is about their utility bills rising. However, according to TeraWulf, the project is not projected to raise those monthly electric bills.
The project is also set to create many jobs. Over 500 jobs will be needed just for the construction phase, which, if approved, will start in 2026. 100 permanent jobs will be needed once the center opens. The plan for now is to have the A.I. Data Center open by 2029 if approved by the Planning Board.
The Lansing community voiced their concerns at the town board meeting, ultimately delaying the project with their split decisions. A vote will be made in October at a future meeting.
“Generations not yet born will feel the impact of the decision you end up making,” said one community member as she addressed the board with her concerns.