Data Center Registry
Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site)
Pocatello, Bannock County, Idaho
Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site) is a cancelled data center in Pocatello, Idaho (Bannock County), operated by Lex Developments. The public record puts it at a reported $2.3 billion investment. It is the subject of active public debate, with hearings, petitions, or organized opposition on record.
Every line on this page traces to a public source listed at the bottom. Where a figure was looked for and not found, the row says so. A blank is never a zero.
Facility record
Cancelled
- Operator
- Lex Developments
- Facility type
- Data center, AI use confirmed
- Location
- Pocatello, Bannock County, ID
- Coordinates
- 42.8713, -112.4455 (approximate)
- Power capacity
- Not established from a public source
- Land
- Not established from a public source
- Investment
- $2.3 billion
- Announced
- Not established from a public source
- Utility
- Not established from a public source
- Cooling
- Not established from a public source
- Water use
- Not established from a public source
- Jobs
- Not established from a public source
- Public subsidy
- Not established from a public source
- Community reception
- Contested
- Source confidence
- Reported by at least one credible outlet or filing
Timeline from the record
Newest first. Record entries come from the filings and reports the registry cites. Coverage entries are headlines from publisher feeds we monitor daily, linked to the outlet; last checked September 14, 2026.
- July 2026CancelledPocatello City Council voted 4-1 to uphold the Hearing Examiner's denial of the conditional use permit, ending the local approval path as of retrieval. Source: KIFI Local News 8
- May 2026ProposedLex Developments sought a conditional use permit for a ~$2.26 billion AI data center at the former Hoku Materials polysilicon plant site (River Park Complex). Source: Idaho State Journal
Opposition and litigation at this site
Yes. Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site) in Pocatello, Bannock County, Idaho is contested. Hearings, public comment, petitions, or organized opposition are on record. Hearing Examiner Kathleen Lewis denied the conditional use permit after a 2026-05-14 hearing, finding the application did not meet Pocatello Municipal Code 17.02.130(D)'s criteria that the use adequately serve public facilities and not be detrimental to public health, safety, or welfare; critics said the applicant could not answer specifics of the conditions and no tenant was confirmed pending an Idaho Power capacity study.
How the community has taken it
Reception is a sourced signal, not an editorial judgment: contested means active public debate is on record, with hearings, petitions, or organized opposition, without litigation.
Hearing Examiner Kathleen Lewis denied the conditional use permit after a 2026-05-14 hearing, finding the application did not meet Pocatello Municipal Code 17.02.130(D)'s criteria that the use adequately serve public facilities and not be detrimental to public health, safety, or welfare; critics said the applicant could not answer specifics of the conditions and no tenant was confirmed pending an Idaho Power capacity study. Lex Developments (represented by Gus Shultz) appealed; the Pocatello City Council voted 4-1 on 2026-07-16 to uphold the denial. Dissenting Council Member Bates warned the path led to 'exhausting appeals, taking the city to court'; Mayor Dahlquist cited 'the speculative nature' of the proposal, noting 'we don't have an exact company that is committed.' No court filing was confirmed in either source fetched.
Notes on the record
Projected investment of $2.26 billion and 150-300 permanent local jobs were part of the developer's denied application (Idaho State Journal), not a built or committed project. No MW capacity, secured tenant, or site acreage was stated in either source fetched. This pin is a Pocatello city-centroid placeholder (precision: approximate): neither source fetched gave a parcel-level address for the former Hoku polysilicon site, and OpenStreetMap has no feature for it. It is NOT a claim about where on the Hoku parcel the proposal sat, and it is not co-located with the FBI Grey Wolf record in this batch, whose pin was corrected to its own OSM building POI 4.0 km north.
What the record does not establish, and the document that would
In every fight on our tracker the decisive fact came out of a public records request. These are the requests for this site.
- Power capacity in megawatts
- Cooling method and water use
- Tax abatements or other public subsidy
- Permanent jobs promised
- Land area
- Which utility serves it
Which document closes each gap
- Power capacity in megawatts
- The utility's large load service agreement, the interconnection request in the grid operator's queue, or the electrical site plan in the permit file.
- Cooling method and water use
- The water service agreement, any groundwater appropriation permit, and the mechanical narrative in the site plan.
- Tax abatements or other public subsidy
- The abatement, PILOT, or development agreement approved by the county, city, or development authority, and the state's data center sales tax exemption certificate if one was issued.
- Permanent jobs promised
- The economic development application or incentive agreement, which usually states a job commitment and a clawback.
- Land area
- The rezoning application, the plat, or the deed recorded with the county.
- Which utility serves it
- The electric service agreement or the utility's filing with the state public utility commission.
Have one of these documents? Send it to us and we will add it to the record with attribution.
Other sites within 30 miles
Distances are between recorded coordinates, many of which are a city or county centroid, so treat them as approximate. Cumulative load on one utility and one aquifer is the question a planning commission rarely asks.
- FBI Grey Wolf Data Center · Pocatello · Federal Bureau of Investigation (U.S. Department of Justice)2 mi · Operating
- GeoBitmine Bingham County Facility · Aberdeen · GeoBitmine21 mi · Proposed · 6 MW
Questions people ask about this site
Is there opposition to the Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site) in Pocatello?
Yes. Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site) in Pocatello, Bannock County, Idaho is contested. Hearings, public comment, petitions, or organized opposition are on record. Hearing Examiner Kathleen Lewis denied the conditional use permit after a 2026-05-14 hearing, finding the application did not meet Pocatello Municipal Code 17.02.130(D)'s criteria that the use adequately serve public facilities and not be detrimental to public health, safety, or welfare; critics said the applicant could not answer specifics of the conditions and no tenant was confirmed pending an Idaho Power capacity study.
Has anyone filed a lawsuit over the Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site)?
The reception note on this record refers to a court proceeding. Read it in full under opposition and litigation above, and check the sources at the foot of the page for the filing itself.
How much water does Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site) use?
No water withdrawal figure for Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site) is on record here. Water use is rarely published voluntarily; it usually surfaces through a utility service agreement or a state withdrawal permit, both of which are public records. We leave the number blank rather than estimate one.
Who operates Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site), and how big is it?
Lex Developments is the operator on record. No capacity figure is on record for this site.
How to cite this page
SueDataCenters.org Data Center Registry, "Lex Developments AI Data Center (former Hoku polysilicon site)," updated September 12, 2026, https://suedatacenters.org/data-centers/lex-developments-pocatello-id.
Facility data from Compute Atlas (E. Kubiak), version 1.32.0 (September 7, 2026), licensed CC BY 4.0, record https://www.compute-atlas.com/facilities/lex-developments-pocatello-id, retrieved September 14, 2026.
Corrections with a public source are welcome at the Compute Atlas record or through our contact page. The whole registry is available as CSV and JSON under CC BY 4.0.
Sources for this record
As compiled and cited by Compute Atlas, with our own reporting appended. Archived links are used where the original has moved.
- 1.Pocatello hearing examiner denies Hoku site data center permit but Lex Developments vows return · Idaho State Journal · retrieved September 12, 2026
- 2.Pocatello City Council Upholds Hearing Examiner's Decision, says "no" to Proposed AI Data Center · KIFI Local News 8 · retrieved September 12, 2026
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