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Data center campus · former Hoku Materials polysilicon plant, North Portneuf urban renewal area, west side of Pocatello (approximate position), Bannock County, Idaho

Lex Developments AI data center, Pocatello (Project IV West)

Denied as of July 16, 2026

A proposed $2.6 billion AI data center of seven 100,000-square-foot buildings on 49 acres at an idled Pocatello industrial plant, denied by the city in 2026. Also known as: Project IV West, former Hoku Materials plant data center.

Cite← Idaho data centers
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Power100MW reported · stated
Floor area700,000sq ft
Site49acres

Who is behind it

ProjectLex Developments AI data center, Pocatello (Project IV West)Also: Project IV West, former Hoku Materials plant data center
Developer and teamLex Developments LLC
End userNot found in the recordsNot yet named in any record or credited report we have found.

The record, newest first

  1. The City Council voted 4-1 to uphold the denial; the developer said it would appeal. (EastIdahoNews.com, July 16, 2026; BoiseDev, July 20, 2026)

  2. The city hearing examiner held a public hearing on the conditional use permit; about 90 people testified, about 60 of them opposed, as reported. (BoiseDev, May 14, 2026; EastIdahoNews.com, May 15, 2026)

  3. The hearing examiner denied the permit, finding the application did not show the project would not harm public health, safety or welfare; the developer appealed to the City Council. (BoiseDev, June 10, 2026)

  4. Idaho Power wrote that the project would add more than 100 MW of load, as reported. (BoiseDev, May 14, 2026)

Conflicts and open questions

  • The city's own hearing examiner decision and council record were not pulled; the project is sourced to reporting.
  • Square footage is the sum of seven 100,000-square-foot buildings as reported.

The full record

Status note
Pocatello's hearing examiner denied the conditional use permit in May 2026, and the City Council upheld the denial 4-1 on July 16, 2026; the developer said it would appeal to district court. Whether an appeal was filed was not checked.
Power note
As reported, a February 2026 Idaho Power letter described a load increase of more than 100 MW, expected by 2031.
Evidence
News reports; primary records not yet obtained
Size class
50 MW or more (tracker scope)
Map position approximate, from the reported address or area. Updated Oct. 17, 2026.