Nodaway County Data Centers — ReLoad $4B, Evergy Gas Plant

Data Center Risk

69/100

High

Why Nodaway County is High risk

Score calculated from four factors: power infrastructure, water capacity, land availability, and current exposure (known projects in the county). Nodaway scores 69/100.

Power availability

20/30

Evergy. New 440MW Mullin Creek gas plant approved at existing Mullin Creek Substation on Hwy 71. Adds 2,000MW to grid by 2030 across 3 plants.

Water capacity

8/15

Nodaway River / 102 River. Rural water systems. Data center water plan not disclosed by ReLoad.

Land availability

11/15

Southern Nodaway County. Rural, abundant farmland. County has limited regulatory authority.

Current exposure

30/40

ReLoad ($4B, gigawatt-scale) proposed Dec 2025. Evergy gas plant under construction. Residents formed opposition groups.

This score is comparative, based on publicly available data across Missouri's 115 counties. Methodology: how we calculate it.

At a Glance

The facts, as filed.

3 active projects

ReLoad

$4 billion
Gigawatt-scale

ReLoad Location

Southern Nodaway County

ReLoad Status

Proposed Dec. 2025
Few details public

Evergy Gas Plant

Mullin Creek #1
440 MW simple-cycle

Plant Location

340th St & US Hwy 71
Mullin Creek Substation

Plant Timeline

Construction Q4 2026
Operational Jan. 2030

Cost to Ratepayers

2–4% annual increases
(SB 4 pre-construction billing)

Opposition

"No MO Dirty Data Centers"
Josh Moutray testimony

Community Impact

200+ construction workers
5–10 permanent plant jobs

The Project

White Cloud Acres, explained.

White Cloud Acres (ReLoad / Scale Microgrids)

Decision Pending · End of June 2026

On December 16, 2025, representatives from Chicago-based ReLoad Energy met privately with the Nodaway County Commission to discuss a $4 billion data center campus south of Maryville. ReLoad's website describes the company as siting and permitting "gigawatt-scale datacenter campuses." Few details were made public until KXCV-KRNW broke the story in March 2026.

In February 2026, ReLoad was acquired by New Jersey-based Scale Microgrids, which specializes in behind-the-meter natural-gas power generation — a structure that lets the project bypass the utility-regulatory process that would otherwise apply if power came from Evergy or Ameren.

The project is now branded as White Cloud Acres. According to the project's own marketing site, it would consist of a 600 MW data center plus a co-located natural-gas power plant — combined investment "of more than $6 billion." Plans include multiple buildings of approximately 1 million sq ft each. The South Nodaway R-IV School District is the affected school district.

Because the developer has secured private land agreements and Nodaway County has no zoning laws, commissioners say their primary leverage is tax abatement. The company has not formally proposed an abatement; commissioners say a final go/no-go decision is expected by the end of June 2026. Estimated employment after construction: 100–130 jobs.

Timeline

How we got here.

December 16, 2025

ReLoad meets privately with Nodaway County Commissioners. Representatives from Chicago-based ReLoad Energy meet with the three Nodaway County Commissioners about a $4 billion gigawatt-scale data center campus south of Maryville. Few details are made public. ReLoad's website describes the company as siting, designing, and permitting "gigawatt-scale datacenter campuses."

February 2026

ReLoad acquired by Scale Microgrids. ReLoad is purchased by New Jersey-based Scale Microgrids, which specializes in behind-the-meter independent power systems — a structure that allows the project to bypass utility regulatory review.

March 11, 2026

KXCV-KRNW breaks the story publicly. Public radio station KXCV-KRNW (Maryville) is the first outlet to report on the proposed campus. Reporting reveals the project would entail multiple buildings of approximately 1 million square feet each — each building larger than five Walmart Supercenters.

April 23, 2026

Community meeting in St. Joseph. The Persisterhood and the Missouri Workers Center host a community meeting; Russell Gray walks attendees through how new gas-fired plants for data centers shift infrastructure costs onto residential ratepayers. Activist Jessica Piper: "They are coming for our rural communities."

Late April 2026

Project rebranded as White Cloud Acres. A project marketing site appears under the name White Cloud Acres, describing a 600 MW data center plus a co-located natural-gas power plant — a combined investment "of more than $6 billion."

May 1, 2026

Grassroots opposition forms. Holly Caviness's newly organized resident group connects with the "No MO Dirty Data Centers" network. KQ2 quotes her: "People have been left in the dark."

End of June 2026

Decision expected. Commissioners say Scale Microgrids plans to make a final go/no-go decision by the end of June. Because the developer has private land agreements and Nodaway County has no zoning laws, commissioners say their main lever is tax abatement — and the company has not yet presented a formal proposal.

What It Means

For residents of Nodaway County.

The gas plant

Evergy Mullin Creek #1: 440 MW simple-cycle natural gas
340th Street & US Highway 71, ~8 miles south of Maryville
MoDOT building J-Turns starting June 2026 for site access
Operational by January 2030; generates enough for 500,000+ homes/month

Cost to ratepayers

Under SB 4, Evergy can charge customers before construction is complete. Josh Moutray (lives across from site): "From methane exposure, carbon dioxide, oxides and nitrogen in the air, to the mercury in the water, we are in direct danger."

Transparency

ReLoad first met with commissioners Dec 16, 2025 — privately
Public didn't learn until KXCV-KRNW reported March 11, 2026
ReLoad acquired by NJ-based Scale Microgrids in February 2026
Project rebranded as White Cloud Acres; decision expected end of June 2026

The land

Site is in southern Nodaway County, in the South Nodaway R-IV School District. Scale Microgrids has private land agreements with the property owners — Nodaway County has no zoning laws, so commissioners cannot block the project. The commission's only meaningful lever is whether to grant a tax abatement, and Scale has not yet formally proposed one.

Sources

Reporting we relied on.

What you can do

A $4 billion ReLoad data center is proposed. Residents were "left in the dark."

Nodaway County residents say they only learned about the proposed ReLoad gigawatt-scale data center through word of mouth — not from county officials. We research your commissioners, write a letter citing the project filings and Missouri Sunshine Law, and email it to every commissioner.

Send my letter

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Resident guides

Nodaway County