COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – As more artificial intelligence data centers are built across the country, many people have questions about how they could impact communities and the environment.

11 News spoke about the potential impacts of data centers in Colorado with Dr. Kyri Baker, a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at CU Boulder.

Baker said there are several factors communities should consider when it comes to data center projects, including water use, energy demand, grid reliability, and the infrastructure needed to support them.

While water is often a major concern, Baker said newer data centers may not use as much water as older facilities if they use closed-loop cooling systems, which reuse water instead of relying on large amounts of fresh water each day.

According to Baker, the larger concern is often energy use and whether Colorado’s energy grid can handle the sudden addition of large power loads from data centers.

She said the environmental impact can also come from the infrastructure needed to support these facilities, including power lines, batteries and power plants. Baker said a data center powered by gas turbines, for example, could have a larger environmental impact than one powered by renewable or more sustainable energy sources.

“But my main worry in Colorado would probably be related to the blackouts and reliability, just from something that we haven’t dealt with on the scale yet,” Dr. Baker said. “So we are experiencing aging components. Transformers are failing. People are installing more air conditioners and electric vehicles, which are straining the distribution grid.”

When asked whether they can meet the current need for electricity and power, Colorado Springs Utilities said yes. But they also said they plan to expand their renewable energy output by 300W, and they are planning to build more natural gas generators at Williams Creek, Southeast of Fountain. They say a new energy plan will be coming out at the end of this month, giving their energy outlook and investment through 2045.

Some people who live near the proposed Colorado Springs data center site say they are trying to stay informed about the project and its potential impacts.

“How can we make this so that it works well with the community in the best possible way?” said Melissa Hills, a concerned resident. “How can we make this as eco-friendly as possible?”

Raeden, the company trying to build the data center in Colorado Springs, has previously said the facility would use a closed-loop system designed to use a fixed amount of water. The company has also said it plans to build barriers to help reduce noise pollution.

Their latest engineering study has been released measuring potential light and sound pollution is included below.