The company behind a planned fertilizer plant in Washington is planning a data center campus on adjacent land.

First reported by the Tri-City Herald, Atlas Agro is proposing to acquire land for a data center development on land close to its planned fertilizer plant in Richland, Benton County.

The company is proposing to purchase approximately 275 acres of land in the Northwest Advanced Clean Energy Park for $24 million to develop five data centers.

Atlas aims to invest $500m in developing five 500,000-square-foot (46,450 sqm) data center buildings on land at 2100 Horn Rapids Road. Construction would start in 2027.

“We are excited by the prospect of developing our business in your community and believe it to be a strong fit with your community’s intent for economic and workforce growth,” Atlas said in its letter of intent to purchase the land

The city will retain a repurchase right if Atlas Agro has not submitted for planning permission within eight months or started construction within 18 months of the deal closing.

City staff supports Atlas Agro's development proposal and recommends approval of the agreement, which is set to be discussed by officials this week.

Founded in 2021, Swiss firm Atlas Agro manufactures low-carbon nitrogen fertilizers. The company claims to be using green hydrogen and green ammonia to produce nitrate fertilizers using only renewable energy.

The firm’s process involves making hydrogen through water electrolysis, using energy from renewable sources. Then, it splits off nitrogen from air in an Air Separation Unit and mix the nitrogen with the hydrogen to produce ammonia. The ammonia is converted into nitric acid and later into calcium ammonium nitrate.

In the works since 2022, the company is developing the $1.1 billion Atlas Agro Pacific Green Fertilizer on adjascent land in the Richland park and aims to launch operations in 2027. The company has secured up to $325m in investment from Macquarie Asset Management via the Macquarie GIG Energy Transition Solutions (MGETS) fund.