Colorado Springs Daily: Data Center Review, Grid Shift and I-25 Delays

Energy and growth

A proposed data center near Garden of the Gods remains one of the biggest local development questions this week. The project, known as Project Taurus, would reuse a former Intel site and is expected to draw about 50 megawatts of power. Residents have raised concerns about electric demand, noise and water use. Colorado Springs Utilities has said customers using more than 10 megawatts must pay for the infrastructure needed to serve them, and a neighborhood meeting is set for April 7 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Regional grid shift

That debate is landing just as Colorado Springs Utilities enters a larger western power market. The utility joined the Southwest Power Pool regional transmission organization on April 1 as part of a major western expansion. Utility and grid officials say the change should improve reliability, widen access to generation across a broader footprint and help lower wholesale power costs over time. For local residents, the practical question is whether a bigger regional market can help absorb future growth without pushing costs onto households.

Transportation watch

On the road side, interstate work is still a near-term issue for commuters. State transportation officials said the planned overnight full closure of northbound I-25 in Colorado Springs was delayed from April 3 to April 10, with detours starting at 10 p.m. The delay does not remove the disruption; it just shifts it later into April as corridor improvements continue. For drivers, that means another week to plan around nighttime impacts on one of the city’s busiest routes.

Taken together, the week’s developments point to the same local theme: Colorado Springs is still growing, and the biggest decisions now involve how to add jobs, power capacity and transportation upgrades without creating new costs for residents.

Sources

https://111things.com/local-headlines/data-center-debate-and-power-grid-expansion-lead-colorado-springs-business-news/
https://111things.com/local-headlines/data-center-debate-i-25-closure-and-highway-roundabout-proposal-lead-local-developments/
https://www.kktv.com/2026/04/02/new-data-center-planned-colorado-springs-sparks-concerns-community/
https://www.spp.org/news-list/spp-and-member-utilities-successfully-complete-historic-western-expansion/
https://www.csu.org/electric-service/sustainable-energy-plan/senate-bill-26-022
https://www.codot.gov/news/2026/april-2026-news