Wisconsin city of Menomonie scuttles secretive $1.6bn datacenter project after residents protest

Summary

Residents of Menomonie, a city of about 17,000 in north-western Wisconsin, mounted a successful protest against a $1.6bn AI hyperscale datacenter campus that an undisclosed big tech company wanted to build on a 320-acre site just outside town, according to The Guardian. The project was pitched in spring 2025 by consultants, who invited newly elected councilwoman Sydney Brennan, then 22, to a meeting. The campus was projected to use an estimated 75,000 gallons of water per day, which would have made it the most significant development in Menomonie's nearly 150-year history. The Guardian reports that community resistance to the AI boom is growing across the country.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   1 Nov 2026, 17:31 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that residents of Menomonie, Wisconsin mounted a successful protest against a $1.6bn AI datacenter campus, in a story on how the small city scuttled the secretive project.