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Proposed

TeraWulf data center at the old Cayuga power plant (Lansing)

Also called: Lake Hawkeye, Cayuga Data Campus, Cayuga Compute, Cayuga Data

TeraWulf leased the old Cayuga coal plant on Cayuga Lake for 80 years and wants to build an AI data center there, up to 400 megawatts. The town zoning board let it go ahead as 'general processing' in a 3-2 vote. Many residents oppose it, and more than 20,000 people signed a petition against it.

✔ ConfirmedSourceLast checked: Oct 7, 2026

Where things stand: Town zoning appeal approved in Dec. 2025; the planning board said the site plan was incomplete in April 2026. A lawsuit is ongoing.

🕒 Latest update (July 14, 2026): The governor paused state environmental permits for data centers of 50 megawatts or more. TeraWulf said its local planning process goes on.

What we know

  • 📍 WhereFormer Cayuga (Milliken Station) coal power plant on the east shore of Cayuga Lake, Lansing, Tompkins County
  • 🏢 CompanyTeraWulf
  • 👤 Built forLeased to AI companies; the Cornell Sun says clients include Alphabet
  • 🌳 Size183 acres
  • ⚡ Power it needs400 megawatts (about as much as 320,000 homes)
  • 🔌 Where the power comes fromState power grid, through the old power plant's grid connection.
  • 💧 WaterBolton Point public water system (company says lake water only for dust control and washing)
  • ❄️ CoolingClosed-loop dry cooling with fans (company claim)

❓ Still unanswered

Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?

  • Has TeraWulf completed its site plan application with the Lansing Planning Board? 🙋 I'll find out
  • Does the state permit pause (Executive Order 62) apply to any state permit this project still needs? 🙋 I'll find out
  • How many diesel backup generators are planned? 🙋 I'll find out
  • What has the court decided in the lawsuit against the project? 🙋 I'll find out

What happened so far

  • Aug 14, 2025
    TeraWulf announced an 80-year lease on the old Cayuga power plant site for an AI data center.
  • Nov 19, 2025
    Lansing Town Board withdrew a proposed one-year building moratorium.
  • Dec 22, 2025
    Town voted 3-2 to accept TeraWulf's appeal to call the data center 'general processing', so no rezoning is needed.
  • Jan 2026
    Environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the project.
  • April 2026
    State DEC approved taking up to about 1 million gallons a day from Cayuga Lake for the site.
  • April 27, 2026
    Lansing Planning Board said TeraWulf's application was incomplete.
  • April 29, 2026
    A court ruled the groups suing have standing, so the case goes on.
  • June 17, 2026
    Opponents delivered a petition with about 20,900 signatures to the town.
  • July 14, 2026
    The governor paused state environmental permits for data centers of 50 megawatts or more. TeraWulf said its local planning process goes on.

Local votes and rules

⚖️ Court case

Two environmental groups (FLX Strong and Cayuga Environmental Action Now) sued TeraWulf and the Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals over the 'general processing' ruling. In late April 2026 a judge refused to throw out the case, so it goes on.

Jan 2026

✅ Approved

In a 3-2 vote, the town accepted TeraWulf's appeal to call its data center at the old Cayuga power plant 'general processing'. That means no rezoning or variance is needed.

Dec 22, 2025

📌 Other

Town board unanimously withdrew a proposed one-year building pause. That let the TeraWulf AI data center plan at the old Cayuga power plant move ahead.

Nov 19, 2025
🛰️ See it from above

An aerial photo of the area.

We only know the town, so this shows the town center, not the exact site. Photos: USGS The National Map.

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Where this comes from

  1. TeraWulf secures zoning approval for NY data center · Yahoo Finance · Dec 23, 2025
  2. A Data Center Could Be Coming to an Upstate New York Town, and Residents Are Speaking Out · Inside Climate News · Nov 8, 2025
  3. TeraWulf AI data center set to proceed construction without yearlong delay · The Ithacan · Nov 20, 2025
  4. Lansing planning board finds TeraWulf application incomplete · The Cornell Daily Sun · April 30, 2026
  5. Cayuga Lake residents deliver petition against proposed TeraWulf data center · Ithaca Times · June 25, 2026
  6. TeraWulf falls 7% after New York orders one-year pause on new data center permits · The Block · July 15, 2026
  7. Key Takeaways from New York Data Center Permitting Pause Under Executive Order No. 62 · Davis Wright Tremaine · July 2026

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