Imperial Valley data center (Aten Rd and Clark Rd)
Also called: Imperial Valley AI Data Center, Imperial Data Center
A company wants to build a huge AI data center, about 950,000 square feet and 330 megawatts, on 75 acres next to homes near the city of Imperial. It would be the biggest data center in California. The county first approved a land step, then reversed it and paused all data centers. A judge has said a full environmental study is needed, and several lawsuits are still open.
Where things stand: On hold: county reversed its land approval in June 2026 and paused data centers; a judge said on Aug 31, 2026 (tentative) that a full environmental study is needed.
🕒 Latest update (Aug 31, 2026): Judge L. Brooks Anderholt issued a tentative ruling that the project needs a full environmental impact report before any grading or building.
What we know
- 📍 Whereabout 75 acres southeast of Aten Road and Clark Road, unincorporated land next to the city of Imperial, Imperial County
- 🏢 CompanyImperial Valley Computer Manufacturing LLC
- 🌳 Size75 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs330 megawatts (about as much as 264,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromImperial Irrigation District power line (the S-Line); IID said its current lines are not enough. Plans include an 862 MWh battery and 132 natural gas backup generators.
- 🗼 New power linesYes
- 💧 Waterfirst planned recycled wastewater from Imperial and El Centro (both cities pulled out); then asked Imperial Irrigation District for canal water (denied) · 750,000 gallons a day
- 💵 Cost$10 billion
- 👷 Jobs promised100
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Has the judge's Aug 31, 2026 tentative ruling become final? 🙋 I'll find out
- Where would the project get its water now that both cities and the irrigation district said no? 🙋 I'll find out
- Who is the tech company that would use the data center? 🙋 I'll find out
- How would the power upgrades be paid for, and would local power bills go up? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Nov 26, 2025The City of Imperial pulled out of a deal to sell recycled water to the project.
- Dec 4, 2025The City of Imperial sued the county, saying the project needs a full environmental study (CEQA).
- Dec 18, 2025The county Planning Commission voted down the land merger the project needed. The developer appealed.
- April 7, 2026The county Board of Supervisors approved the land merger (Resolution 2026-057).
- April 22, 2026The developer asked the Imperial Irrigation District for 880 acre-feet of water a year.
- May 1, 2026The Imperial Irrigation District said no to the water request.
- June 5, 2026The developer sued the Imperial Irrigation District over the water denial.
- June 16, 2026Supervisors voted 5-0 to pause all pending and new data center projects; the pause was later extended to about mid-2027.
- July 29, 2026A judge heard the City of Imperial and Sierra Club case about environmental review.
- Aug 31, 2026Judge L. Brooks Anderholt issued a tentative ruling that the project needs a full environmental impact report before any grading or building.
Local votes and rules
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
Supervisors paused final approvals for data centers in unincorporated areas, then extended it to about mid-2027 on July 14. A court set it aside in August 2026; the county then repealed it.
⚖️ Court case
The data center developer sued to stop the county's pause. In August 2026 the judge found the county did not show an urgent threat and ordered the pause set aside.
✅ Approved
Supervisors approved the land merger the Imperial Valley data center needed, overturning the Planning Commission's 'no' vote. A judge later said this needed a full environmental study.
⚖️ Court case
The City of Imperial (later with the Sierra Club) sued the county, saying the data center needs a full environmental study. On August 31, 2026 the judge's tentative ruling agreed.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- The plan to build a massive data center in Imperial County without environmental review · KPBS · Jan 21, 2026
- Data center water fight heads to Imperial County court · Western Water · Aug 4, 2026
- Imperial County approves data center moratorium · inewsource · June 16, 2026
- California Judge Orders Full Environmental Review of 330 MW Data Center · Data Center Knowledge · Sept 1, 2026
- After months of public outcry, Imperial Valley cities are hitting the brakes on data centers · KPBS · Aug 4, 2026
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