FAQ — Manse Technology Campus

Question 1

What is Manse Technology Campus?

Accepted Answer

Manse Technology Campus is a planned campus of data center buildings — essentially buildings full of computers — on about 900 acres of privately owned land south of Pahrump along SR 160. It's not a factory, mine, or warehouse. There's no manufacturing, no assembly line, and no industrial waste. From the road, it looks like a set of low buildings behind landscaping, operated and maintained day to day by a local team.

It's being called Manse Technology Campus after Manse Road — the road the campus sits on — and the historic Manse Ranch. We chose a name that honors this valley's history, because we intend to be a beneficial part of it for a long time.

Question 2

What is a data center?

Accepted Answer

It's a simple thing that sounds mysterious. A data center is a group of secure buildings filled with computers — the same kind of computers that store your photos, run your phone's apps, stream your shows, handle your online banking, and power the websites and social media all of us use every day. That information has to physically live somewhere, on computers in a building, and that building is a data center.

Question 3

Who's paying for it?

Accepted Answer

The land is privately owned, and construction will be 100% privately financed by the development team behind MTC, including the power and infrastructure upgrades required to run it. No taxpayer dollars are involved.

Question 4

How big is it, and where?

Accepted Answer

Approximately 900 acres, south of Carpenter Canyon Road, set back from SR 160.

Question 5

How long will construction take?

Accepted Answer

5+ years of phased construction, with steady, high-paying construction jobs resulting in a serious stimulus to the local economy.

Question 6

How does the community benefit from this project?

Accepted Answer

The campus would become one of the largest taxpayers in Nye County — and unlike a residential development, shopping center, or other commercial uses, it asks almost nothing of local services in return. It won't add students to classrooms or cars to the school drop-off line, yet it would contribute millions of dollars every year to Nye County schools. That's money for teachers, classrooms, and buses — without raising anyone's taxes by a dollar.

The same pattern holds across the services we all share. The campus would help fund the library, the pool, the parks, 911 dispatch, and other county services — while placing almost no demand on them. A data center doesn't check out library books, call 911, or fill up the parks on a weekend. So its tax dollars go toward services the whole community uses, without adding to the crowd. At full buildout, the real property taxes come to hundreds of millions of dollars a year — a significant share of it to schools — and it's the kind that is never reduced or abated.

Question 7

How do we know these claims are true and that your promises will be kept?

Accepted Answer

None of it rests on simply trusting us. Our commitments — on water, on noise levels no higher than what you already hear along SR 160, on dark-sky lighting that won't wash out the stars, on generous setbacks from the nearest homes, and on drainage built to hold a major storm — all go into a Development Agreement with Nye County. That agreement gives county officials the legal power to hold us accountable and make sure we're doing what was promised. If we don't keep our word, the county and the state have the tools to hold us to it. We think that's exactly how it should work.

Question 8

Will it drain our water?

Accepted Answer

No, but it's a fair concern since some other data centers do use a lot of water because of their older cooling technologies. However, this is not the case with Manse Technology Campus. This project will use state-of-the-art closed-loop cooling technology that recycles the same water rather than consuming it. The entire campus is designed to use less than 300 acre-feet of water per year. And these limits aren't just our word — they're written into binding agreements, with oversight from the State Engineer and the Public Utilities Commission.

Question 9

How does the project's water use compare with other potential uses of the property?

Accepted Answer

The campus will use about half as much water as a single 18-hole golf course. Another comparison: it would use approximately 15% of the water that would be required for a similarly sized residential development.

Question 10

What is closed-loop cooling?

Accepted Answer

Closed-loop cooling recirculates the same water rather than letting it evaporate. The project also uses water rights it already owns rather than seeking new allocations.

Question 11

Will the project take water rights from residents?

Accepted Answer

No, because the project will be using water rights it already holds. Water usage still requires the Nevada State Engineer's approval, with additional oversight from the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada.

Question 12

Will the project increase flood risk?

Accepted Answer

No — the campus's on-site drainage is engineered to retain stormwater from a 100-year storm event. Additionally, portions of the one-time impact fees paid for by the project will fund additional off-site drainage and flood control work for the county's benefit.

Question 13

Are there emissions, odors, or hazardous waste concerns?

Accepted Answer

No. There's no manufacturing here, so there are no process emissions, no odors, and no industrial waste — it's not a factory, just a building full of computers. The backup generators are air-permitted and run only in an emergency or for brief testing.

Question 14

What about the night sky and neighborhood look?

Accepted Answer

Lighting is fully shielded and downcast to protect the night sky. Landscaping uses native, drought-tolerant plants rather than lawns.

Question 15

Will the campus be noisy?

Accepted Answer

No — you're not expected to hear it from your home. The campus is limited to 65 decibels during the day and 55 decibels at night, measured at the nearest neighbor's property line. That's about the level of a normal conversation or a home air conditioner during the day, and quieter than light rain at night. It sits well back from the nearest homes, and sound fades with distance — so what you'd actually hear is quieter still. Backup generators are tested occasionally during the day, on a published schedule with advance notice to neighbors. These limits are set by ordinance and confirmed by a professional acoustic study, and are written into a binding agreement the county enforces.

Question 16

Do data centers heat up the surrounding area?

Accepted Answer

Not in any way you'd notice. Like any building with equipment — a grocery store, a hospital, an office — a data center gives off some warmth from its cooling systems. But that heat dissipates quickly right around the buildings and doesn't change the temperature of the town or the valley. The "heat island" effect people sometimes read about comes from dense cities covered in pavement and packed buildings — not a single campus set on roughly 900 acres of open desert with landscaping and wide spacing. In practical terms: this won't make Pahrump hotter.

Question 17

How many construction jobs will this project create?

Accepted Answer

An estimated 1,600 skilled trades jobs at peak, plus about 3,200 total regional jobs when you account for suppliers, lodging, fuel, and food. These are jobs and revenue for the residents and businesses of Nye County.

Question 18

How many permanent careers will exist after construction?

Accepted Answer

Roughly 380 permanent on-site careers — engineers, technicians, and operators — plus an estimated 760 total jobs across the regional economy once you include the suppliers and businesses they support. These are lasting jobs and revenue for the residents and businesses of Nye County.

Question 19

Is there a requirement to hire Nevada workers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Under Nevada law (NRS 360.754), at least 50% of the construction workforce must be Nevada residents as a binding condition of the project's tax abatement — not a voluntary commitment.

Question 20

What wages and benefits are required?

Accepted Answer

Every permanent job must pay at least 100% of the Nevada statewide average wage, plus qualifying health insurance and paid family and medical leave.

Question 21

What happens if the developer doesn't meet these requirements?

Accepted Answer

The project must meet capital investment and hiring milestones on schedule, or the State can claw back the abated taxes. The abatement is approved by the Governor's Office of Economic Development and reviewed annually.

Question 22

Will my taxes go up because of this project?

Accepted Answer

No. This project will not cause any tax increase on residents. In fact, it's expected to add significant revenue to Nye County budgets while placing very little demand on public services like schools, roads, and emergency response.

Question 23

How much tax revenue will this generate?

Accepted Answer

At full buildout, the project is estimated to generate millions of dollars per year in real property tax — the portion of taxes never subject to the abatement — plus additional millions per year in personal property tax (the amount remaining after the abatement). In addition, the project will generate millions in one-time impact fees (subject to final county fee schedules).

Question 24

Where does that money go?

Accepted Answer

Per Nye County's tax levy schedule, the largest share will go to Nye County schools, followed by the Nye County General Fund, the Town of Pahrump, other local services, and the State of Nevada.

Question 25

Are there one-time payments too?

Accepted Answer

Yes — millions in one-time county impact fees (subject to final county fee schedules), paid as building permits are pulled during construction to fund drainage and flood control, street improvements, and fire and sheriff facilities.

Question 26

What could this new tax revenue pay for?

Accepted Answer

That's up to the elected boards, not the developer — they set budgets through their own public processes. But to give a sense of scale: the schools' share could fund hundreds of teaching positions; the county's public-safety share could support dozens of sheriff's deputies and firefighters; the town's share could support road and intersection safety improvements; and the local-services share helps fund libraries, 911 dispatch, and community health services. These are illustrative comparisons to show scale, not spending commitments, based on representative Nevada salary costs.

Question 27

Will this create more traffic?

Accepted Answer

The project expects to generate a few hundred daily trips — far fewer than housing, retail, or warehousing development would generate on the same land.

Question 28

How close will buildings be to homes?

Accepted Answer

Buildings are set back more than twice the required setback distance — over 1,000 feet from the nearest home.

Question 29

What will it look like?

Accepted Answer

Buildings visible from SR 160 are designed with desert-friendly colors, materials, and more architectural detail; buildings not visible from public roads are expected to have a simpler design.

Question 30

Will my electric bill go up?

Accepted Answer

No — the project sources and pays for its own power directly, and pays for any grid upgrades required to serve it. Valley Electric's ratepayers don't pay for the project's power or its upgrades — and its costs can't be passed on to them.

Question 31

Is the site secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes — it's fully enclosed and monitored by private security around the clock, which also limits demand on local police and fire services.

Straight Answers to Real Questions