Proposed
Hyperscale data center at the former Goldendale aluminum smelter
Also called: NSC Smelter site, Columbia Gorge Aluminum site
STACK Infrastructure, owned by Blue Owl Capital, plans a very large data center on the old aluminum smelter land by the Columbia River. A 2022 power request asked for 958 MW, close to 1 gigawatt. The site is polluted from the smelter and still needs cleanup.
Where things stand: Planning stage. Building could start around 2028-2029; no power source lined up yet.
🕒 Latest update (Sept 29, 2026): County planning director presented a draft interim rule that would bar data centers within 5 miles of a city; he said this rules out Goldendale.
What we know
- 📍 Whereformer Golden Northwest Aluminum smelter on the Columbia River next to John Day Dam, about 8 miles southeast of Goldendale, Klickitat County
- 🏢 CompanySTACK Infrastructure (Blue Owl Capital)
- 🏛️ Owned byBlue Owl Capital
- ⚡ Power it needs958 megawatts (about as much as 766,400 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromNot lined up yet. A 2022 power request to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) asked for 958 MW.
- 💧 Waterold water rights held by Klickitat PUD, shared with the pumped storage project (reported)
- ❄️ Coolingair cooling (reported)
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Where will the power come from, and will new power lines be needed? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water will it use per day? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will the county's new data center rules apply to this site? 🙋 I'll find out
- When will the cleanup of the old smelter land be finished? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- 2022Klickitat PUD filed a request with BPA to connect a 958 MW data center load, naming IPI Partners and STACK.
- May 1, 2026Public radio reported STACK Infrastructure is seeking to build a data center on the old smelter site.
- Aug 4, 2026Local paper reported a contract between the site owner and Blue Owl Capital for a hyperscale data center.
- Sept 29, 2026County planning director presented a draft interim rule that would bar data centers within 5 miles of a city; he said this rules out Goldendale.
🛰️ See it from above
An aerial photo of the area.
Photos: USGS The National Map.
Where this comes from
- Part of an old aluminum smelter along the Columbia River could soon get cleaned up · Northwest Public Broadcasting · May 1, 2026
- Hyperscale data center developer confirmed · Columbia Gorge News · Aug 4, 2026
- 9/29 Klickitat County Commissioners meeting · Gorge News Center · Sept 30, 2026
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