Oklahoma might be home to still another data center.
The Yukon City Council voted recently to sell 184.5 acres of city-owned land for $15.8 million to BLE Holdings, LLC of Atlanta, Georgia which intends to make a $1 billion investment for a 0.5-gigawatt data center.
The site is near Highway 66 and Frisco Road west of Yukon. The 4-1 vote by the city council doesn’t mean there will be a data center going up soon at the site.
Ward 1 Council Member Rodney Zimmerman said there is a long path to go.
“OG&E has to be able to provide the electricity and we have to work out our water issues and be able to handle the flow back to the treatment plant. I won’t vote for a water agreement if I think it’s questionable,” he said, reported the Yukon Progress.
“I don’t agree with the process that got us to this point, but I do think this could be beneficial to helping Yukon fund capital improvements that it desperately needs after decades of neglect that needs to be caught up.”
He also indicated there likely won’t be any immediate construction for the proposed data center.
“OG&E has to be able to provide the electricity and we have to work out our water issues and be able to handle the flow back to the treatment plant. I won’t vote for a water agreement if I think it’s questionable,” he said.
According to the Yukon Progress, the council voted 3-2 in support of an ordinance to add a section titaled Data Centers to make sure there is orderlly development of any data centers within the Yukon city limits.
The paper also reported some area residents were against the quick action of the city council. Julia Seay was one of them and asked the council to delay the decision.
“The longer we sit here, the more questions I come up with,” she told the council. We have opposing information on data centers and it needs study.”
Another resident, Amy McAlester who lives close to the data center’s proposed site questioned what was in it for the residents.
“I get a $15.8 million land sale is fantastic, but what is the ongoing revenue?
Mayor Brian Pillmore explained the city’s electric franchise fees would increase $8 million to $12 million a year with the data center in operation.
Water concerns were also raised but the Mayor said the water to be provided would be treated and recycled water and not fresh drinking water. As explained by Yukon City Attorney Roger Rinehart, a condition of the land sale agreement is that the data center has the water necessary for the facility.
“If the water cannot be provided, then the buyer won’t go forward,” he said.
Mayor Pillmore said the water agreement will be negotiated before the closing of the sale.
“There will be no action taken on it until all citizens see it. That’s absolutely critical because it affects you.”
Who is BLE Holdings? According to one online report, Ble Holdings is located in Greensboro, North Carolina. This organization primarily operates in the Holding Companies, nec business / industry within the Holding and Other Investment Offices sector. This organization has been operating for approximately 9 years..
Another site reported, “BLE LANDHOLDINGS, LLC is a Georgia Domestic Limited-Liability Company filed on September 10, 2024. The company’s filing status is listed as Active/Compliance and its File Number is 24174738. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Beltline Energy and is located at 154 Krog St Ne Ste 105, Atlanta, GA 30307. The company’s principal address is 154 Krog St Ne, Ste 105, Atlanta, GA 30307.”
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