Imperial County AI data center plan faces CEQA fight, 330 MW power need

Key Takeaways

Lawyer Sebastian Rucci proposes a 330‑megawatt, 1 million‑square‑foot AI data center near Imperial.
The city seeks CEQA review, while the county issued a grading permit and is weighing a lot‑merger appeal.
The project would use 750,000 gallons of reclaimed water daily, with no final water or power deals.
Rucci touts 2,500–3,500 construction jobs and 100–200 permanent jobs; a county consultant estimates 1,600–1,700 construction jobs.
PG&E says data center interconnections in its territory top 10% of California’s total generation, which includes much of the Valley.

A stack of yellow speaker cards curled at the edges on the supervisors’ dais. Residents filled two rooms, then spilled outside as chants of "Fuera!" bled through the doors. The room was loud.

The fight in Imperial County matters up Highway 99 because the same questions about power, water and whether CEQA must apply will land in Valley boardrooms too. PG&E’s interconnection queue already includes loads that affect Fresno and Stanislaus counties, and large parcels near high‑voltage lines exist here.

What the plan includes

Developer and attorney Sebastian Rucci wants to build a nearly 1 million‑square‑foot "hyperscale" facility on county land off Aten Road, less than a mile from neighborhoods. He describes a 330‑megawatt operation with natural gas backup and an estimated need for 750,000 gallons of reclaimed water per day. He has floated sourcing up to 6 million gallons per day of treated wastewater from Imperial and El Centro, using a fraction to cool the site and routing the rest toward the Salton Sea.

Imperial Irrigation District officials say there’s no agreement in place, and the project remains in study. El Centro issued a conditional letter last fall that was not a final water service agreement, while the city of Imperial hasn’t committed to provide reclaimed water. Rucci says upgrades would be privately funded and that the center would curtail first during heat waves.

He pitches the project as a jobs and tax base play. He cites 2,500 to 3,500 construction jobs and 100 to 200 permanent positions. A county consultant pegged construction jobs closer to 1,600 to 1,700. And the potential tenant? Rucci hinted at interest from a big tech company, but a spokesperson said that firm isn’t involved.

Where the fight stands

Imperial officials argue the county moved too quietly and want a full California Environmental Quality Act review. A judge dismissed one petition but allowed a revised complaint, which the city filed in March. The county has issued a grading permit. A planning commission denial of a lot merger has been appealed to the Board of Supervisors.

Opponents are gathering signatures for a November 2026 ballot measure that would ban data centers countywide. Supporters point to high unemployment and say the project can run on renewables with reclaimed water. "This data center will come," Rucci told inewsource.

Why it matters in the Valley

Data centers need cheap land, big power, fiber, and often proximity to wastewater plants. Central Valley counties have all four in places, from Fresno’s industrial corridors to Kern’s transmission hubs. PG&E has warned that data center demand in its territory now exceeds 10% of California’s total generation capacity, which pushes the grid planning issues straight into Valley jurisdictions.

Supervisors and councils here will face the same choices playing out in Imperial: ministerial sign‑offs versus CEQA, dry cooling versus water cooling, and who pays for substations and lines. SGMA adds a local twist, since any water‑cooled facility would run into groundwater rules if reclaimed supplies fall through. And that question is headed inland too.

"Rights are rights, property rights are property rights," Rucci said.

Central Valley AI is produced by the CVAI Newsdesk team and developed by Kaweah Tech, a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.

Source

https://inewsource.org/2026/04/05/data-center-developer-imperial-county/