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Data center project · Lyon County, Nevada

Monarch Data Center

Approved · A 1,000 MW campus with its own gas plant that won a Lyon County zoning change in August 2026 over tribal and resident opposition. Also known as: Monarch Data Center Specific Plan.

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Status
Approved · as of Aug. 6, 2026
Location
Mason Valley near Yerington · Lyon County
Power
1,000 MW
Campus power as reported by the Indy and KOLO (KOLO: at least 1,000 MW). Not the 500 MW gas plant.
Floor area
4,600,000 sq ft
Land
505 acres
Developer and team
Copia Power
Utility
NV Energy, with an on-site 500 MW natural gas plant and battery storage until grid supply arrives
Water
Air-cooled, closed-loop design relying mainly on groundwater; county materials gave conflicting totals (under 100 versus under 800 acre-feet a year). The Sierra Club says the basin is over-appropriated.
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.

Updates, newest first

  1. Aug. 6, 2026 Commissioners approved the zone change 3-1 with one commissioner abstaining; Copia must still return a final design, obtain state environmental and water approvals and finish buying the land. Two tribes, the Walker River Paiute and the Yerington Paiute, said they would challenge the decision in court. (The Nevada Independent, Aug. 8, 2026; KOLO 8, Aug. 6, 2026)
  2. July 14, 2026 The planning commission voted 4-3 to recommend the planned unit development zoning. (The Nevada Independent, Aug. 3, 2026)
  3. Dec. 2025 Lyon County commissioners changed the site's master plan designation from agriculture to specific plan, after tabling it in August 2025 over the main access road. (The Nevada Independent, Aug. 3, 2026; The Nevada Independent, Aug. 8, 2026)

Conflicts and open questions

  • Water-use estimates differ between the application and the staff report.
  • KOLO dated the vote Thursday, Aug. 5; the Indy reported it as Thursday, which was Aug. 6, the scheduled date.

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