Discussions on data centers and solar energy developments for the unincorporated areas of Lyon County will be on hold for the next six months following unanimous action by Lyon County Commissioners Thursday morning.
During their regular action meeting, commissioners approved two moratoriums, one on data centers and battery storage systems and the other on solar projects. The development of the moratoriums came rather quickly after Commissioner Chris Bartel proposed the moratoriums, and a 10-day stopgap on said matters, last week, citing concerns regarding rumors of a potential development in motion within the county as well as a lack of zoning regulations on data centers specifically.
Thursday morning, Bartel elaborated on the rumors, confirming they were true and stemmed from a developer in North Carolina who has spoken with County Zoning Specialist Sam Seeley, who offered additional details during an interview with KVOE News following the action meeting.
Commissioner Chris Bartel, in an interview with KVOE News, stated the commission has invited the potential developers to sit down with them and discuss their desires in the future, adding that said developers “Applauded” the county’s decisions to develop a moratorium on the subject.
Bartel also stated that he feels it is important for the commission to at least meet with the developers, as it would be “Poor business to slam a door shut in somebody’s face.”
The matter of solar comes with Evergy planning a solar farm development near its energy center in far west Emporia, with Evergy representatives in attendance for Thursday’s meeting asking commissioners to “reject” the proposed moratoriums. Vice President of Development Jason Humphrey stated during the meeting the company feels the project could have significant benefits for the community, adding that there had been rumblings the solar farm was related to the Flint Hills Digital Campus project proposal in west Emporia.
Humphrey dispelled those rumors, saying the solar project has been in the works since 2022. KVOE News sought additional comment from Humphrey and was referred to Evergy’s media relations department and KVOE has reached out for additional details on the solar project and how the moratorium may impact those plans.
In the opinion of Commissioner Doug Peck, he does not believe the commission’s decision will “Impede” their plans, noting the length of time they have already spent on it to this point.
The moratorium on solar is set to sunset on December 1, with the data center moratorium set to expire on January 22, 2027, with the option to extend or withdraw the moratoriums at the commission’s discretion. The reason for the separate end dates for the moratoriums is to allow Seeley adequate time to review and update the county’s zoning regulations for both matters, with Commission Chairman Ken Duft noting one requires more time than the other as the county already has some regulations on solar but has to “start from scratch” on the data center language.
That said, Seeley did note he has been working on research for data centers for the last year or so, saying with it being such a major talking point across the nation in recent months, he felt it pertinent to be “prepared” in the event the conversations came to the county.
Commissioner Peck, who serves as the county’s representative on the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas, an agency that has publicly spoken up in favor of the digital campus project, when asked why he voted the way he did noted Thursday’s action was not done in an effort to stop any developments, but rather to make sure they are done correctly from a development and legal standpoint.
Chairman Duft has stated previously he is “Totally against solar” as an energy option, which led KVOE News to ask if his actions Thursday could be seen as a way to further a personal agenda. Duft stated his personal stance “has nothing to do with it”; the concerns of citizens were the determining factor in his decision.
That Duft added that he would prefer to see more developments on nuclear energy creation as opposed to solar developments.
Following the commission’s action Thursday, Commissioner Peck made a point that acreage has been a major talking point on the data center debate, specifically the 1,000 acres of land proposed for the Flint Hills Digital Campus, before asking the public if they knew how many acres made up Lyon County. He later stated the total came to just over 540,000.
KVOE News asked Peck why he felt this was a pertinent point to Thursday’s discussions, with Peck saying he feels acreage should not be a determining factor; the wishes of those who own said acreage should be.
The county’s passage of the moratoriums came a day after Emporia City Commissioners approved multiple items related to the aforementioned digital campus project, including the rezoning of 11 tracts of land, during their regular action meeting Wednesday. Both city and county officials have stated on multiple occasions that the newly enacted moratoriums will have no impact on the digital campus project, as the county’s authority only impacts the unincorporated sections of the county.
County Commissioners will reconvene for a budget-related study session this coming Wednesday at 9 am inside the Lyon County Courthouse Commission Chambers with their regular action session to follow at the same time and place Thursday.
