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Butte officials back from Quincy data center trip with mixed views

Source: missoulian.com

TL;DR

Seven Butte officials returned from a late March trip to a Sabey data center in Quincy, Washington, mostly reinforcing support for a similar proposed facility in Butte.
The group observed a clean, quiet operation with community benefits like jobs, taxes, and school partnerships, but estimated only about 100 workers on the multi-building campus.
Lingering issues include power costs for ratepayers, exact job numbers, development plans, and land rights before the August land deal deadline.

The story at a glance

Seven Butte-Silver Bow officials, including six commissioners like Michele Shea, Josh O’Neill, Russ O’Leary, and Eric Mankins, plus staff and ad hoc committee members, toured a Sabey data center campus in Quincy, Washington, in late March. They spoke with locals and assessed operations to inform deliberations on Sabey’s proposed $1 billion data center on 606 acres in Butte’s Montana Connections Business Park. The story reports now after participants shared reactions last week, amid ongoing national debates over data centers’ impacts. Butte-Silver Bow sold the land option a year ago, with closing extended to Aug. 11.

Key points

Trip included tours of the five-building campus, described as well-maintained, quiet at the perimeter (minimal fan noise except up close), clean, and professionally run; locals confirmed no major noise issues.
Participants saw community gains in Quincy from data centers: new infrastructure, tax revenue, jobs, workforce training, and school partnerships for student skills and local careers.
Pre-trip views ranged from supportive (O’Neill, Kambich) to undecided (O’Leary, Mankins); all reinforced general favor or gained perspective, with no red flags prompting outright opposition.
Water use appeared manageable: newest building needs no consumptive cooling water; Butte’s Silver Lake system could supply 16 million gallons/year for adiabatic cooling only above 80°F, with spare capacity.
Employment hard to gauge without Sabey data; rough estimate of 100 workers across Quincy campus, aligning with national concerns over few permanent jobs post-construction.
Support tempered by needs for Sabey’s full 10-year plans, hard job/tax numbers, noise data from other sites, and protections for utility rates.

Details and context

The proposal stems from Butte-Silver Bow’s sale of 606 acres to Sabey’s LLC, Horizons Montana, with extensions granted to resolve title issues and energy talks with NorthWestern Energy. Sabey, Seattle-based, runs U.S. data centers and eyes a similar campus west of Butte, potentially 850-1,400 MW power by 2030—far above NorthWestern’s current 750 MW supply to the area.

National data center fights highlight trade-offs: construction brings hundreds of jobs but operations fewer, plus high power/water draw and noise risks. In Quincy, data centers boosted the rural economy without dominating complaints, per visitors.

Lingering hurdles include REC Silicon’s right-of-first-refusal on nearby land, no final Butte design/timeline from Sabey (affecting revenue estimates), and PSC oversight of a proposed Large New Load Tariff to shield residential rates.

Key quotes

“Before traveling to Quincy, I was in favor of the Sabey Data Center. My position has been reinforced.” — Commissioner Josh O’Neill[[1]](https://www.montanarightnow.com/news/state/data-center-visit-reinforces-support-among-some-butte-commissioners-yet-questions-linger/article_baa9c265-120e-55be-a343-7ee50a1dc853.html)[[2]](https://www.montanarightnow.com/news/state/data-center-visitors-return-to-butte-with-hope-questions/article_baa9c265-120e-55be-a343-7ee50a1dc853.html)
“Sabey Corp. has exceeded all my expectations... a great fit for the Montana Connections Business Park.” — Jim Kambich, Butte-Silver Bow chief of staff[[1]](https://www.montanarightnow.com/news/state/data-center-visit-reinforces-support-among-some-butte-commissioners-yet-questions-linger/article_baa9c265-120e-55be-a343-7ee50a1dc853.html)[[2]](https://www.montanarightnow.com/news/state/data-center-visitors-return-to-butte-with-hope-questions/article_baa9c265-120e-55be-a343-7ee50a1dc853.html)
“I didn’t see any red flags... but Sabey is still short on solid development plans for Butte.” — Commissioner Russ O’Leary[[1]](https://www.montanarightnow.com/news/state/data-center-visit-reinforces-support-among-some-butte-commissioners-yet-questions-linger/article_baa9c265-120e-55be-a343-7ee50a1dc853.html)[[2]](https://www.montanarightnow.com/news/state/data-center-visitors-return-to-butte-with-hope-questions/article_baa9c265-120e-55be-a343-7ee50a1dc853.html)

Why it matters

Data centers promise economic revival for places like Butte through taxes, jobs, and growth but risk straining power grids, water, and rates without safeguards. For locals, it could mean 200 permanent jobs and $4.5 million yearly taxes if built, yet higher utility bills or unkept promises if mishandled. Watch the Aug. 11 land closing, PSC tariff ruling, and any Sabey public forum for clearer plans.