Officials in Cedar Falls, Iowa, have delayed a public hearing on zoning and code changes required for a proposed cryptocurrency mining facility on the city’s southwest side.

The hearing was pushed back to April 22 after residents raised concerns over the potential environmental impacts and utility costs incurred by the site proposed by Simple Mining, a Bitcoin mining company based in Cedar Falls.

The proposal centers on more than 38 acres near the West Viking Road Industrial Park, where the city has been working with Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU) and Simple Mining on a possible mining site.

Under the plans, the crypto mine would sit next to CFU’s proposed Viking Energy Center, a new natural gas-based generation project that the utility says will support grid resiliency, complement renewable supply, and help keep customer energy costs low.

CFU says the plant has been in planning for years and was not created specifically for the mining proposal.

The city is seeking to rezone the site from light industrial use to heavy industrial use for the power plant while also creating a new zoning category for cryptocurrency mining.

City documents cited by local media indicate the proposed rules would require setbacks from residential districts, noise mitigation measures, and a water-cooling plan. Reporting also says the crypto facility would use a closed-loop recirculating system intended to reduce water consumption.

Residents who spoke ahead of and during the planning process said they were worried about noise, electricity demand, water usage, and the broader environmental impact of pairing a high-load mining operation with a new gas-fired plant.

In response, Simple Mining said the facility would use little water and could be shut down quickly during periods of higher power prices.

CFU says the Viking Energy Center will be built south of Viking Road and east of Union Road in the industrial park and will take several years to construct.