Data Center Census Near me

Lake Hawkeye

Lansing, Tompkins County, NYDeveloper: TeraWulf

Also known as TeraWulf Cayuga, Cayuga Power Plant data center

ProposedZoning board found the use permitted in December 2025; a contested DEC water withdrawal permit and the July 2026 state moratorium remain unresolved
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

TeraWulf proposes an AI and high-performance computing campus on roughly 80 acres at the former Cayuga Power Plant at 228 Cayuga Drive in the Town of Lansing, on the east shore of Cayuga Lake. The company describes a first phase of three buildings at about 150 MW, rising to roughly 300 MW at full build-out, cooled by a sealed closed-loop system with water supplied by the Bolton Point municipal system. The project became one of the most contested in New York after TeraWulf sought a modified state permit to withdraw more than a million gallons a day from Cayuga Lake; the Tompkins County Legislature voted 14-1 in January 2026 to urge the Department of Environmental Conservation to reject that application.

Planned capacity
300 MW
full build-out, company figure
Site size
80 acres
initial development area

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity300 MW [1]
full build-out, company figure
Source excerpt
“~300 MW of total capacity at full buildout”
Phase 1 capacity150 MW [1]
three buildings in Phase I, company figure
Source excerpt
“~150 MW”
Site size80 acres [1]
initial development area
Source excerpt
“~80 acres initial development”

Power

Power supplyCentral New York grid, which the developer describes as predominantly zero-carbon with surplus available [1]
Source excerpt
“substantial surplus power available”

Water

Water sourceBolton Point municipal system, with on-site storage, per the developer [1]
Source excerpt
“Water for data center operations will be supplied by the Bolton Point system and supported by on-site storage”
CoolingSealed closed-loop system that recirculates the same fluid, per the developer [1]
Source excerpt
“fully sealed, closed-loop cooling system that continuously recirculates the same fluid without drawing from or discharging to Cayuga Lake”
Water permitModified DEC water withdrawal permit sought for more than one million gallons a day from Cayuga Lake; opposed by the county legislature [2]
Source excerpt
“over one million gallons of water daily from Cayuga Lake”

Local decisions & site

Parcel / addressFormer Cayuga Power Plant, 228 Cayuga Drive, Town of Lansing [2]
Source excerpt
“228 Cayuga Drive, Town of Lansing”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Timeline

  1. TeraWulf secures a long-term lease at the former Cayuga Power Plant site [2]

  2. Tensions over the proposal grow in Tompkins County as opponents threaten litigation [3]

  3. Town of Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals determines that a data center fits the permitted land use at the site [2]

  4. Tompkins County Legislature votes 14-1, with one recusal, to urge the DEC to reject the water withdrawal permit application and require a new application with environmental review [2]

  5. Residents organize against the proposal at public meetings in Tompkins County [4]

  6. Gov. Kathy Hochul signs Executive Order No. 62, pausing state DEC permits for data centers of 50 MW or more [5]

  7. Statewide reporting describes the project as facing legal challenges, with the town planning board requesting additional work [6]

Issues raised

  • TeraWulf's modified permit application would withdraw more than one million gallons a day from Cayuga Lake, which the Tompkins County Legislature asked the state to reject [2]
  • Residents raised water quality, utility rate, human health and wildlife concerns during county public comment [2]
  • One legislator recused himself because he is employed by TeraWulf; the resolution passed 14-1 [2]
  • The developer says operational cooling is closed-loop and does not draw from or discharge to the lake [1]
  • The July 2026 state executive order pauses DEC permits for data centers of 50 MW or more [5]

Sources

  1. Project Overview
    Lake Hawkeye Data (TeraWulf) · company
  2. Tompkins County Legislature urges state to deny water permit for Lansing data center
    Ithaca Times · Jan 27, 2026 · news
  3. Tensions over TeraWulf data center in Tompkins County grow with threatened lawsuit
    The Cornell Daily Sun · Nov 2025 · news
  4. Tompkins County residents oppose AI data center on Cayuga Lake
    WBNG · Jan 28, 2026 · news
  5. Executive Order No. 62: Establishing a Temporary Moratorium on Data Centers in New York
    Office of the Governor of New York · Jul 14, 2026 · government
  6. Proposed data centers dividing New Yorkers
    Spectrum News / NY State of Politics · Aug 4, 2026 · news
  7. Our Sites
    TeraWulf · company

Cite this page

Last updated Sep 22, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.

APAData Center Census. (2026). Lake Hawkeye. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/terawulf-lake-hawkeye-lansing-ny
MLA“Lake Hawkeye.” Data Center Census, Sep 22, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/terawulf-lake-hawkeye-lansing-ny.
Linkhttps://datacentercensus.com/dc/terawulf-lake-hawkeye-lansing-ny

Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.