Jackson County

Nebius, a Dutch AI company that does business with Microsoft and Meta, bought 398 acres from NorthPoint Development on December 5, 2025 at Missouri Highway 78 and Little Blue Parkway in eastern Independence. The city announced the deal on Facebook before most residents had heard about it. Nebius plans to build its first solely owned and operated U.S. data center here — 2.5 million square feet across 8 to 10 buildings, with full buildout by 2030–2031.

The facility will require 800 megawatts to operate — roughly triple what Independence currently generates. A private equity firm, Independence Power Partners (Delaware), will finance, build, and operate a new natural gas power plant at the retired Blue Valley Power Plant site adjacent to the data center. IPL Director Joe Hegendeffer says residential rates will not increase because Nebius pays market rate through a pass-through agreement.

Nebius plans a closed-loop cooling system using demineralized water — a one-time fill of approximately 1.3 million gallons per 200 MW, phased with construction. This is significantly less water-intensive than Meta’s evaporative system in Clay County (up to 9.5M gallons/day).

The Independence City Council voted 5-2 to approve Chapter 100 bonds after a nearly four-hour public hearing with more than 60 speakers. Three residents — Rachel Gonzalez, Kharma Magers, and Misty Vaughn — sued to put the bonds to a public vote. Judge Jennifer Phillips denied their request on March 25.