Cedar Falls-based Simple Mining is planning a new Bitcoin mining facility in Dubuque County, Iowa, as it looks to expand its footprint in the state.
The project would be located on around four acres at the Cascade Industrial Park in Cascade, according to local broadcaster KCRG. Dubuque County is a county located in the east of Iowa, along the state border with Wisconsin and Illinois.
Under the proposal, the company would deploy around 40 containerized crypto mining units, each measuring roughly 160 square feet and installed on concrete pads, Ken McDermott, president of the Cascade Economic Development Corporation (CEDC), told the local media.
McDermott said the development would not be a conventional data center, but a container-based mining operation.
The project is being backed by the CEDC, though it still requires final plan approval and building permits from the city before construction can begin. McDermott said a public meeting will be scheduled once Simple Mining finalizes its plans.
An agreement between the company and CEDC also requires Simple Mining to disclose the project’s maximum potential power demand before the real estate transaction closes.
Local residents have already raised concerns about the development’s impact on noise, water use, and electricity consumption. One nearby resident told KCRG she was worried the facility could affect day-to-day life in the neighboring Oak Hill area.
McDermott said the mining containers would be self-cooled to improve water and energy efficiency, and said the agreement caps off-site noise at a level comparable to a normal conversation.
Simple Mining describes itself as a Bitcoin mining company focused on miner sales, hosting, and repair, based in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The company says it currently has five mining sites operational, with 100MW under management, producing a mining hashrate of 4 EHps, and is targeting 500MW of power capacity by the end of 2026.
The Dubuque County project would add to a wider Iowa expansion push from the company. In January 2025, Simple Mining outlined plans for what it described as its largest facility yet in Manchester, Iowa, where a 50-container crypto mining development won site plan approval from the city council.
Simple Mining is also currently awaiting a hearing on zoning and code changes required for a proposed cryptocurrency mining facility and adjacent gas-fired power plant in Cedar Falls.