How a small Wisconsin city scuttled a secretive $1.6bn datacenter project
Summary
Menomonie, Wisconsin, scuttled a proposed $1.6 billion AI data center after city officials had negotiated with the developer, Balloonist LLC, under nondisclosure agreements. The planned 320-acre campus was projected to use 75,000 gallons of water a day; its parent company was not identified in the article excerpt.Key Facts
- The proposed data center would have been built just outside Menomonie, a city of about 17,000 people.
- The project covered 320 acres and was estimated to use 75,000 gallons of water per day.
- Balloonist LLC, a Delaware shell company, represented the developer, while the parent company remained undisclosed.
- City administrator Eric Atkinson and public works director David Schofield signed nondisclosure agreements with Balloonist in February 2024.
- The city council approved a pre-development agreement with Balloonist in a closed session in March 2025, before Sydney Brennan took office.
- Consultants projected up to 1,000 temporary construction jobs and 50 to 75 permanent jobs.
- Balloonist said it would pay for needed upgrades to the city's electrical grid and water system and aimed to replenish more water than it used by 2030.
- Meta was later identified as the company behind a separate Balloonist data center proposal in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
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