Gateway West Area
IndustrialPolk County, Iowa · MISO
At a glance
Gateway West Area is an industrial datacenter candidate site in Polk County, Iowa, scoring 57.5/100 DC Readiness — 50th of 84 scored sites in the county. It sits in the MISO grid region and the MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO service territory, where interconnection has averaged 4.3 years from request to operation.
Power & interconnection
Speed to power
Middle-of-the-pack interconnection conditions for this grid.
Connectivity
Site characteristics
Risk & environment
Location context
Regulatory climate
Strong incentives; utilities courting hyperscale load.
Incentive detail: Sales tax exemption on DC equipment for $1M+ investments; property tax phase-in for new construction.
Site location
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How does Gateway West Area compare with other sites in Polk County?
Gateway West Area ranks 50th of 84 scored candidate sites in Polk County. Its 57.5/100 is roughly in line with the county average of 60.6. It is roughly in line with the Iowa average of 56.4 and roughly in line with the national average of 53.2.
Against the Iowa average, its strongest sub-score is fiber connectivity (99 vs 77) and its weakest is power availability (30 vs 37). Power and speed to power each carry 20% of the composite score, fiber 12%, water 7% and hazard 6%.
How close is Gateway West Area to power, fiber and other datacenters?
The nearest located transmission bottleneck is ALW16X26_WAPELLO_TR91_TR91 (MISO), 76 miles away. For connectivity, the nearest internet exchange facility is Connect Des Moines at 0.6 miles. 17 fiber providers report service at the location in FCC broadband data. The closest operating datacenter on record is Connect Des Moines, 0.6 miles away.
What are the flood, water and hazard risks at Gateway West Area?
At the county level, FEMA's National Risk Index rates Polk County "Relatively Moderate".
Full DC Readiness breakdown
All 13 weighted sub-scores (0–100) behind the composite DC Readiness score.
Nearby comparable sites
Other scored datacenter candidate sites in Polk County, ranked by DC Readiness.
| Site | Type | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BONDURANT | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 4.3 yrs | 69.3 |
| GREATER DES MOINES ENERGY CENTER | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 4.3 yrs | 69.2 |
| SE POLK | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 4.3 yrs | 69.1 |
| SYCAMORE | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 4.3 yrs | 68.1 |
| Harriet Street Solar Field | Brownfield | 69 kV | 1 MW | 4.3 yrs | 65.9 |
| OZ Polk | Greenfield | — | — | 4.3 yrs | 65.9 |
| EC Near Metro Methane Recovery Facility | Greenfield | — | — | 4.3 yrs | 64.8 |
| UNKNOWN132634 | Substation-Adjacent | 161 kV | 100 MW | 4.3 yrs | 64.2 |
Gateway West Area: common questions
What is the DC Readiness score of Gateway West Area?
Gateway West Area scores 57.5/100 on the GridCensus DC Readiness scale, rated good. It ranks 50th of 84 scored sites in Polk County. The Polk County average is 60.6 and the Iowa average is 56.4.
Which electric utility serves Gateway West Area?
MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO (investor owned) holds the retail service territory that contains the site; its holding company is BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY ENERGY.
What grid region is Gateway West Area in?
Gateway West Area is in the MISO region. Projects interconnecting there have averaged a 4.3-year wait from queue request to operation.
How far is Gateway West Area from an internet exchange?
The nearest internet exchange facility is Connect Des Moines, about 0.6 miles away; 17 fiber providers report service at the location.
Related pages
About this data
Source: GridCensus composite of HIFLD transmission and substation data, EIA, FEMA National Risk Index, FCC broadband data, PeeringDB and ISO interconnection queues, as published October 10, 2026 — GridCensus refreshes it monthly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: GridCensus, “Gateway West Area, Polk County, IA”, https://gridcensus.com/datacenter-sites/iowa/polk-county/gateway-west-area-9d4555d2 (data as of October 10, 2026).
Dataset updated . Screening estimates derived from public data sources.
Figures are screening estimates derived from public infrastructure data. Catalogued capacity reflects theoretical candidate capacity, not deliverable or committed interconnection. Confirm all values with the utility, ISO, and on-the-ground due diligence.
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