From orbit
The site from above
1From orbit
The site
Latest clear satellite view, April 2, 2022.
Power
Power and the grid
None energized or contracted yet
Avista grid serviceRequested, no service agreement
requested; Avista's study found about 50 MW deliverable by ~2030 and up to 650 MW by ~2033 with about $184M of upgrades (press) News report · May 2025
Proposed
Other sources, size not disclosed
- Co-located hydrogen plant Proposed (developer says hydrogen is the primary goal)electrolysis and methane pyrolysis; no on-site generation capacity stated News report · Aug. 2026
Getting on the grid
Who supplies what, what it costs, and what is still not public.
- May 1, 20251,000 MW request filedApricus asks Avista for 1,000 MW, initially 200 MW by 2027 and 800 MW by 2028, per county records reported by the press. News report · July 2026
- Aug. 6, 2026Utility study reportedAvista's study finds about 50 MW deliverable by 2030 and up to 650 MW by 2033, assuming the developer pays about $184M for new lines and substations (press). News report · Aug. 2026
- As of Oct. 2026No service agreement filedNo energy service agreement exists, and none has been filed with the state utilities commission. see Permits
- Not setCapacity beyond 650 MW: no pathThe study says the full 1,000 MW needs new regional infrastructure or generation outside its scope. News report · Aug. 2026
- Avista's June 2026 negotiation pause and its 500 MW agreement with another developer concern a different project in north Spokane County, not this one. News report · May 2026
What is next door
Distances from mapped lines and plants. OpenStreetMap · Oct. 2026
Permits
Permits checklist
1 pending · 4 checked, nothing on file
Approvals a campus like this normally needs (including an air permit for backup generators), and what we found.
- ◷Reclaimed water sale PendingCity of Airway Heights · Sept. 8, 2026: proposal only; the city has approved no sale and committed no water Local government · Sept. 2026
- –Checked, nothing on file: Zoning and land-use approval, Environmental review (SEPA), Energy service agreement, Air permit
Risks
What could slow it down
- HighPower cannot match the requestAvista's study finds 50 MW by about 2030 and up to 650 MW by about 2033, with the full 1,000 MW beyond the grid (press). News report · Aug. 2026
- HighCounty pause on applicationsSpokane County stopped accepting data-center applications in Aug. 2026 and is considering extending the pause to June 2027. News report · Oct. 2026
- HighWeak sponsor and no financing on recordThe developer is a 2023 LLC with no completed projects, and no financing, lender or capital commitment is disclosed (press). News report · Oct. 2026
- MediumOrganized opposition and tribal pushbackResidents have organized and petitioned for moratoria, and the Kalispel Tribe declined to take part in the hydrogen plan. News report · Aug. 2026
- MediumWater not committedA city statement says the current water request is 22,000 gallons a day, but long-term buildout of the hydrogen plant may reach 250,000 to 300,000 gallons a day. Local government · Sept. 2026
Money
Money on record
~$184M
grid upgrades the developer would pay for 650 MW (press)
study assumption, not a signed obligation News report · Aug. 2026
~$163,800
Airway Heights feasibility study, paid by the developer
about 12 months; council approval required first Local government · Sept. 2026
$400-600M
water-treatment infrastructure in developer documents (press summary)
Not on record: financing, lender or capital commitment: developer is a 2023 LLC with fewer than 11 employees and no completed projects (press) News report · Oct. 2026
Timeline
What happened, and what is due
SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
- May 2025Power Apricus files a 1,000 MW large-load request with Avista (first appearance of the project) News report · May 2025
- Feb. 16, 2026Site County records hold a written summary of the Big Rock project, later obtained by a resident News report · Feb. 2026
- May 11, 2026Site Developer's CEO says he executed a letter of intent with an unnamed hyperscale developer; terms not public News report · Oct. 2026
- June 23, 2026Permits The City of Spokane, the site's water and sewer authority, adopts a one-year citywide data-center moratorium News report · June 2026
- Aug. 6, 2026Power Press publishes the project file: 514 acres, Avista study limits and tribal objections News report · Aug. 2026
- Aug. 19, 2026Permits Spokane County adopts a roughly four-month pause on new data-center applications (press) News report · Oct. 2026
- Sept. 8, 2026Permits Airway Heights says it has approved no water sale and made no commitment Local government · Sept. 2026
- Oct. 15, 2026Permits County staff confirm no formal zoning approval has been completed News report · Oct. 2026
- Oct. 2026Permits County hearing on extending the pause to June 1, 2027 News report · Oct. 2026
Construction activity
Satellite captures by quarter
Since March 2022: 54 satellite captures. The chart starts in the first quarter of 2023; 5 earlier records are not drawn.
Satellite
’23
’24
’25
’26
Dot size: records in the quarter, largest = 4. Two-digit years mark each first quarter.
The buildings
Specs
22,000 gallons a day
initial reclaimed-water request; developer materials suggest 250,000 to 300,000 later
- Zero: federal securities filings under the project name SEC filing · Oct. 2026
Who is involved
Owners, partners and builders
Developer
- Apricus Energy Partners (Sean P. Boyd, founder and president): sponsor, formed in 2023
- Big Rock Data LLC: project entity
- Unnamed hyperscale developer: letter-of-intent counterparty
Power and utilities
- Avista: electric utility, ran the impact study
- Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission: must approve any service agreement
Decision-makers
- Spokane County Commissioners and Planning Department: zoning, environmental review and the pause
- City of Airway Heights: possible reclaimed-water supplier
- City of Spokane: potable water and sewer authority
Opponents and others
- No Spokane Data Center: resident group
- Kalispel Tribe of Indians: declined to participate
- Spokane Tribe of Indians: submitted written questions
Still unknown
Open questions
- Who the tenant is and what the letter of intent says.
- Whether the developer controls the land.
- Whether the county extends its pause past Dec. 2026.
- IT capacity (only whole-campus utility load is stated).
Where this comes from
221 records from 23 documents
Drawn from news reports, public and commercial datasets, state agency records, local government records, securities filings, company statements, our own analysis and satellite captures, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.
News report 13Dataset 4State agency 3Local government 2SEC filing 2Company 1Analysis 1Satellite 0
Evidence
Every quote behind this page
Grade key: A = the primary record itself (permit, filing, exhibit) · B = a dated official statement · C = news reporting. Map distances are our own measurements on OpenStreetMap and carry no grade. Allegations in lawsuits are marked as such in the quotes.
Power (32)
- County: Spokane County“Because the proposed project is in Spokane County, not Airway Heights”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Jurisdiction: Unincorporated Spokane County, outside Airway Heights city limits; land-use and SEPA authority sit with Spokane County“other aspects of the project (e.g., zoning, permitting and the purchase of potable water) would be subject to the policies and decisions of other jurisdictions”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Developer: Apricus Energy Partners“The City of Airway Heights has received a proposal from a project developer, Apricus Energy Partners, to purchase reclaimed water”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Water source: Reclaimed water from the City of Airway Heights (requested, not approved); potable water would be supplied by the City of Spokane (site is in Spokane's water service area); sewer via the City of Spokane sew“The proposed project site is located within the City of Spokane's water service area”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Nearest power line of 345 kV or more: none within 16km kmMeasured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Nearest substation of 345 kV or more: none within 16km kmMeasured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Nearest gas pipeline: 8.37 kmMeasured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Water supply status: Reclaimed-water purchase proposed to the City of Airway Heights; no decision made and no water committed“The City has met with Apricus to better understand the proposal, which Apricus has called the 'Big Rock Project,' but no decisions have been made, and the City has not committed any water resources to the project.”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Utility service: not stated“Any final service agreement must be reviewed and approved by state regulators”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Electric service agreement signed: not stated“Documented absence: no energy service agreement exists; Avista states any final service agreement must be reviewed and approved by the WA UTC, and no UTC filing for this campus was found”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Avista paused negotiations on the MOU project and said it is taking additional time to evaluate the processing of energy requests from new large data center developers generally“Avista announced today it is taking additional time to evaluate the processing of energy requests from new large data center developers”Company · June 2026 · grade B
- IT capacity: not stated“Documented absence: no IT-load figure is disclosed in any source; all published figures are utility load requests for the whole campus”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- On-site generation: not stated“Documented absence: a co-located hydrogen production facility is planned, but no on-site electric generation capacity in MW is stated in any source; the data center load is to be grid-supplied via Avista”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Grid operator: none (no ISO/RTO; Avista / BPA region)“Assessment from rows in this folder: the serving utility is Avista in the BPA region; that Washington service territory sits outside any ISO or RTO”grade C
- Current target date: not stated“No committed COD; the earliest deliverable capacity in Avista's study is about 50 MW by about 2030”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Construction stage: none no approvals“Avista determined it could realistically deliver only 50 MW by approximately 2030”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Energy service agreement approval: not filed“the Commission opened docket UE-260,162 to set expectations for how investor-owned utilities should make tariffs and contracts for very large customers”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Utility: Avista (Avista Utilities, Avista Corp)“those records show that Avista Utilities' engineering study determined that only about 50 megawatts could be delivered by 2030”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Interconnection status: System impact study complete: about 50 MW deliverable by about 2030 and up to 650 MW by about 2033 with about $184M of upgrades; full 1,000 MW beyond current grid capability“Full deliver of 1,000 megawatts would require additional regional infrastructure or new generation beyond the scope of the study”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- On-site power technology: Co-located green hydrogen production facility (electrolysis and methane pyrolysis); hydrogen is the sponsor's stated primary goal and the data center its financial anchor“Boyd, the Apricus founder, said that Rock Point could use two methods to produce hydrogen: electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, and methane pyrolysis”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Grid upgrade cost estimate: 184000000 USD“only about 50 megawatts could be delivered by 2030 and up to 650 megawatts by 2033, assuming the company pays about $184 million for new transmission lines, substations and interconnections”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Sponsor track record: Apricus was formed in 2023, is reported to have fewer than 11 employees, and has no completed project on record; its 2024 Livermore airport hydrogen pitch is dead per airport staff, and the Kalispel“But Apricus Energy Partners, which was formed only three years ago, doesn't appear to have ever built a thing”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- On Avista's Q2 2026 call, management said the 500 MW MOU project was removed from capital-plan upside and set a net-benefit requirement for large-load customers (context only; the MOU project is not this campus)“The company removed a 500-megawatt data center project from its capital plan upside”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Original target date: 2027“the developer demanded an incredibly fast timeline, initially requesting 200 MW by 2027 and 800 MW by 2028”News report · July 2026 · grade C
- Avista and Apricus scheduled feasibility briefings with the Coeur d'Alene and Kalispel Tribes; the Kalispel Tribe raised concerns about substantial CO2 emissions from a new natural gas facility tied to the project“the Tribe questioned how the developers plan to navigate the political climate in Olympia given the substantial CO2 emissions this gas facility would generate”News report · July 2026 · grade C
- Stated campus size: 1,000 MW“In May 2025, Apricus submitted a Large Load Request to Avista asking for a staggering 1,000 Megawatts (MW) of power”News report · May 2025 · grade C
- Stated campus size: 1,000 MW“In May 2025, Apricus submitted a Large Load Request to Avista asking for a staggering 1,000 Megawatts (MW) of power”News report · May 2025 · grade C
- Interconnection status: Large-load request in study, no contract: Apricus / Big Rock Data LLC submitted a Large Load Request to Avista in May 2025 for 1,000 MW (initially 200 MW by 2027 and 800 MW by 2028 per county-reco“Delivery of up to 650 MW would not be feasible until around 2033, meaning full delivery of the 1,000 MW demand is currently beyond the scope of local grid capabilities”News report · May 2025 · grade C
- large load interconnection request: submitted - system impact study completed“Avista determined it could realistically deliver only 50 MW by approximately 2030”News report · May 2025 · grade C
- Stated campus size: 1,000 MW“According to county records, Apricus would eventually seek 1,000 megawatts of electricity”News report · May 2025 · grade C
- Power plan: grid“In May 2025, Apricus submitted a Large Load Request to Avista asking for a staggering 1,000 Megawatts (MW) of power”News report · May 2025 · grade C
- Source record“In May 2025, Apricus submitted a Large Load Request to Avista asking for a staggering 1,000 Megawatts (MW) of power”News report · May 2025 · grade C
Money and contracts (15)
- Incentives: None granted. HB 2655 (2025-26) would create a retail sales and use tax exemption for construction and equipping of new data centers in a qualifying east-of-Cascades border county (Spokane County); the bill s“Providing a retail sales and use tax exemption for the construction and equipping of new data centers located in a county east of the Cascades”State agency · Oct. 2026 · grade A
- Reclaimed water purchase: status No sale approved, no contract entered, no commitment made by the city“The City has not approved any sale of reclaimed water, entered into any contracts, or made any commitments related to Apricus' proposal”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Feasibility study agreement: condition City has provided its study proposal to Apricus and awaits a response; City Council approval is required before any study agreement; study about 12 months, about $163,800, funded by“The City has provided its study proposal to Apricus and is waiting for a response”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Energy Service Agreement: status No ESA executed and none filed with the WA UTC“Regulatory approval is required: Any final service agreement must be reviewed and approved by state regulators”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Tenants: not stated“Documented absence: the LOI counterparty is an unnamed hyperscale developer; no tenant is named in any primary or press source, and no name is recorded here from rumor”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Financing: not stated“Documented absence: no financing, lender or capital commitment is disclosed in any source; the sponsor is a 2023-vintage LLC reported to have fewer than 11 employees and no completed projects”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Letter of Intent: termination / exclusivity / conditions Clauses not public: the LOI text has not been released, so termination, exclusivity and conditions precedent cannot be verified“As of May 11, 2026, Apricus's CEO confirmed via email that they successfully executed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with a hyperscale data center developer for the Big Rock site”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- The Spokesman-Review published the project file: 514 acres, Avista study limits (about 50 MW by 2030, up to 650 MW by 2033), the $184M upgrade estimate, and tribal rejections“those records show that Avista Utilities' engineering study determined that only about 50 megawatts could be delivered by 2030”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Letter of Intent: counterparty identity Counterparty is not named in the LOI notice or in any public record“LOI is between Apricus Energy Partners and an AI Hyperscale Data Center Developer”News report · July 2026 · grade C
- Large Load Service Request: schedule 200 MW by 2027 initial ask; 800 MW by 2028 in the same records summary“initially requesting 200 MW by 2027 and 800 MW by 2028”News report · July 2026 · grade C
- Tenant status: LOI“Apricus's CEO confirmed via email that they successfully executed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with a hyperscale data center developer for the Big Rock site”News report · May 2026 · grade C
- Letter of Intent: scope Executed LOI for development of the Big Rock site“they successfully executed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with a hyperscale data center developer for the Big Rock site”News report · May 2026 · grade C
- Apricus's CEO confirmed by email the execution of an LOI with an unnamed hyperscale data center developer for the Big Rock site“they successfully executed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with a hyperscale data center developer for the Big Rock site”News report · May 2026 · grade C
- Developer project documents, as summarized from the public-records file, cite about $400-600M of water-treatment infrastructure and $36.7-55.9M per year of patent-related and exclusivity charges for two facilities“$36.7M to $55.9M annually in combined patent-related and exclusivity charges for two facilities”News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
- Large Load Service Request: scope 1,000 MW“In May 2025, Apricus submitted a Large Load Request to Avista asking for a staggering 1,000 Megawatts (MW) of power”News report · May 2025 · grade C
Permits and government (21)
- Reclaimed water sale approval: not approved“The City has not approved any sale of reclaimed water, entered into any contracts, or made any commitments”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Airway Heights City Council (study session) and Public Works Committee: Apricus reclaimed-water proposal briefing“the full Council was briefed on the proposal at an August study session”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- FAA cases within 1p5km of site: 0 cases“Distance screen of the 104-case pull: zero cases within 1.5 km of the site address point.”FAA · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Stage: at risk“no formal zoning approvals for large data-center projects have been completed”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Interim moratorium (application pause): adopted“Spokane County commissioners unanimously approved a four-month moratorium on new data center permits on August 19, 2026”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- SEPA threshold determination: not commenced“the SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) process that Spokane County would oversee for the project”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Air quality permit: none found“no air permit for this campus”grade C
- Spokane County Board of County Commissioners: Interim pause on data-center permits/applications“Spokane County commissioners unanimously approved a four-month moratorium on new data center permits on August 19, 2026”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Construction stage: not stated“no formal zoning approvals for large data-center projects have been completed”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Zoning status: No formal zoning approval completed; the county has no data-center-specific regulations yet and is drafting a zoning text amendment; one Apricus major-industrial determination is on record (document not re“no formal zoning approvals for large data-center projects have been completed, although one Apricus major-industrial determination was on record”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Zoning / land use approval: none completed“no formal zoning approvals for large data-center projects have been completed”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Major industrial determination: on record“although one Apricus major-industrial determination was on record”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Spokane County Planning Commission: Work session on draft data-center code; status of approvals“clarified no formal zoning approvals for large data-center projects have been completed, although one Apricus major-industrial determination was on record”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Moratoria: Spokane County interim pause on accepting data-center and large-load applications, adopted Aug 2026 for about four months (through about Dec 15, 2026); extension through Jun 1, 2027 set for a Board hearing on“the Board of County Commissioners directed staff to prepare a public hearing on October 20 to extend the pause on data center applications to 06/01/2027”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Moratorium extension hearing: hearing noticed“extend the pause on accepting large-load/data-center applications through June 2027”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Spokane County Planning Commission: Data-center zoning text amendment status; moratorium extension“Spokane County staff said the Board of County Commissioners has directed a public hearing Oct. 20 to extend the moratorium”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Spokane County Board of County Commissioners: Public comment on proposed data-center regulations“urging an environmental assessment, cumulative-impact analysis and a one-year moratorium before adoption of the code changes”News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
- Spokane County Board of County Commissioners: Public hearing on the county emergency pause on accepting land-use and permit applications for data centers“Dozens of residents told the Spokane County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 15 that a four-month pause on permitting for hyperscale data centers is insufficient”News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
- Spokane County Board of County Commissioners: Data-center moratorium vote“On July 21, Spokane County Commission Chair Mary Brooks postponed the vote until later this month”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Spokane County Planning Commission: Comprehensive plan meeting; resident testimony on the Apricus / Big Rock proposal; project status“He noted that the county has no current proposals being considered”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- The City of Spokane adopted a one-year citywide data-center moratorium (6-1). The site is outside city limits, but the city is the site's potable-water and sewer authority, so city policy is on the project's critical pat“Spokane followed with its own one-year citywide moratorium (6-1) on June 23”News report · June 2026 · grade C
Site and other (17)
- Aliases: Big Rock Project; Rock Point“which Apricus has called the Big Rock Project”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Water use stated: 22000 gallons/day“The current request is for 22,000 gallons per day, but long-term buildout of the hydrogen plant indicates usage may be in the 250,000-300,000 gallon per day range”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Sepa status: Not commenced: no SEPA checklist or threshold determination found; Spokane County would oversee SEPA for the project“Any potential noise or traffic, impacts would be addressed during the SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) process that Spokane County would oversee for the project”Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
- Name: Big Rock Data Center“The Big Rock Data Center Project is a proposed large load Data Center Complex in Spokane County”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Land control: No purchase or recorded option evidenced in sources reviewed; the site was marketed through Spokane County's ZoomProspector site-selection listing, which had expired or been removed by Oct 2026; the landown“The property listing may have expired or was removed”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- The 11703 W Medical Lake Rd site was marketed on Spokane County's ZoomProspector site-selection portal; the listing has expired or been removed“The property listing may have expired or was removed”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Apricus submitted technical corrections on the county's draft data-center ordinance that residents and meeting coverage describe as an attempt to soften the draft“Data center developer Apricus is noted for attempting to soften the county's draft ordinance by submitting technical corrections”News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
- Address: 11703 W Medical Lake Rd, Spokane, WA 99224“a state-of-the art hydrogen production facility and data center on 514 acres of land on the West Plains, located at 11703 W. Medical Lake Highway”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Developer principal: Sean P. Boyd, founder and president of Apricus Energy Partners“Its founder and president, Sean P. Boyd, says that the company is now based in Spokane”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Acres: 514 acres“pitched a grand plan to build a state-of-the art hydrogen production facility and data center on 514 acres of land on the West Plains”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Opposition: Organized resident opposition (No Spokane Data Center; petitions for moratoria); the Kalispel Tribe declined to participate in Apricus's hydrogen proposal; the Spokane Tribe submitted written questions“We looked at it and decided we weren't going to pursue it”News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
- Owner companies: Big Rock Data LLC (project entity used by Apricus)“Apricus is operating under the shell company name Big Rock Data LLC to conduct this business”News report · July 2026 · grade C
- Site area: 514 acres“he pitched a grand plan to build a state-of-the art hydrogen production facility and data center on 514 acres of land on the West Plains, located at 11703 W. Medical Lake Highway”News report · May 2026 · grade C
- Sponsor: Apricus Energy Partners, acting through Big Rock Data LLC“The effort is being spearheaded by a company called Apricus Energy Partners”News report · May 2026 · grade C
- County records include a written summary of the Big Rock Data Center Project dated Feb 16, 2026, later obtained by a resident through public-records requests“Summary of the Big Rock Data Center Project, as of Feb 16 2026”News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
- County records show a coordinated effort to amend state bills (referencing HB 2655) to make Spokane County eligible for data-center tax incentives; Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown formally opposed the push in a February 2026 em“Internal communications reveal a coordinated lobbying effort to amend broader state bills (specifically referencing HB 2655)”News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
- First announced: May 2025“In May 2025, Apricus submitted a Large Load Request to Avista”News report · May 2025 · grade C
Imagery and records: Aerial imagery: local aerial photography via Esri World Imagery Wayback.