Met with a Representative from Tallgrass Energy
- hollingsheadforcom
- Sep 16
- 2 min read
On September 11th, I met with a representative from Tallgrass Energy regarding the proposed Tallgrass/Crusoe project located south of town near the Colorado border. Given the public concerns about potential increases in residential energy rates and excessive water consumption, I reached out to Tallgrass. I requested a meeting to ask pointed questions and gain a factual understanding of the project's impact on residents of Laramie County.
I had previously met with representatives from the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities and Black Hills Energy regarding this project, and this meeting with Tallgrass confirmed the information they had shared with me.
Regarding concerns about rising residential energy costs, Wyoming State Statute 37-3-116 allows utility companies—in this case, Black Hills Energy—to require customers with usage exceeding 5 megawatts to purchase energy from the open market. This provision helps ensure that large users do not affect residential energy rates. Additionally, any infrastructure—such as power lines or substations—needed to support these large users will be paid for by the user, not residential customers.
Tallgrass plans to build its own on-site natural gas power plant to meet the energy needs of the proposed Tallgrass/Crusoe project.
Regarding water usage, all data centers in Laramie County use closed-loop cooling systems, which significantly reduce the amount of water required to maintain server operations. The combined water usage of all data centers in the county is equivalent to the annual water usage of approximately 560 residential households. The Tallgrass/Crusoe project will draw its water from a commercial well drilled into a deep geological layer well below the aquifers that supply water to Laramie County. In fact, this layer contains water that is not connected to any aquifer currently in use—it is a deep, isolated reservoir that has been sitting unused at that depth.
If you have any further questions or concerns about power or water usage by the data centers, please feel free to contact me. If I don't know the answer immediately, I know who to contact and will get the information for you.
