Coachella Valley Technology Campus (Stronghold Power Systems)
Stronghold Power Systems proposed six large data centers on up to 450 acres of farmland in Coachella. The first phase was three buildings of about 1 million square feet each, up to 90 megawatts each. The city ended the power deal and then banned large data centers, which blocks the plan.
Where things stand: City ended the power deal in June 2026 and banned large data centers on Aug 26, 2026. The company opposes the decision.
🕒 Latest update (Aug 26, 2026): City Council approved a permanent ban on large data centers.
What we know
- 📍 Whereup to 450 acres of farmland near Avenue 52 and Fillmore Street, Coachella, Coachella, Riverside County
- 🏢 CompanyStronghold Power Systems
- 🌳 Size450 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs270 megawatts (about as much as 216,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes froma new city-owned electric utility run with Coachella Valley Power Services LLC (a Stronghold company); this deal was ended
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Will Stronghold go to court over the city's decision? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Feb 2026City Council approved a deal with a Stronghold company to set up a city-owned power utility for the campus.
- June 2026City Council ended the deal, paused new data centers for 45 days and asked staff to write a permanent ban.
- Aug 26, 2026City Council approved a permanent ban on large data centers.
Local votes and rules
🚫 Ban
Council approved a permanent ban on large data centers, such as AI centers. Small server rooms for storage, security, power and phone service are still allowed.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
Council ended its power-utility deal with Stronghold and paused new data centers for 45 days in June 2026. On July 8 it extended the pause to June 4, 2027.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Coachella council approves data center moratorium, directs staff to draft ban · KVCR · June 6, 2026
- Coachella becomes second California city to ban data centers as opposition swells in Golden State · KVCR · Aug 28, 2026
See something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.