ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Before it can fully review the proposed 2.6-million-square-foot Cetronia Road Data Center proposed for Upper Macungie Township, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission said it needs just one thing.
More data.
“There is little information provided on this plan. This is the reason the plan must be changed and resubmitted to us.”Jill Seitz, LVPC chief community and regional planner
“There is little information provided on this plan,” Jill Seitz, LVPC chief community and regional planner, said during the commission's meeting Thursday.
“This is the reason the plan must be changed and resubmitted to us.”
Air Products & Chemicals Inc., of Allentown is seeking approval to redevelop its former 194-acre headquarters site at 7300 Cetronia Road into a large, three-building data center complex.
It would be the region’s first hyperscale-sized facility.
Plans include the construction of three buildings, with square footage of 1.2 million, 926,250 and 435,000.
But during its staff review of the project Thursday, the planning commission determined the submission does not provide sufficient information to evaluate the project’s full electrical demand or its long-term impacts on the regional power grid.
'Unable to reach a conclusion'
Data centers are facilities that store, process and move digital information for video streaming, during storing of files in the iCloud, virtual online meetings and making online purchases — 24 hours a day.
Data centers can pose health and quality-of-life impacts to neighboring residents and land uses if not appropriately mitigated, the review said.
“Given the lack of information in the letter, the commission is unable to reach a conclusion if the application is consistent with FutureLV: The Regional Plan."Lehigh Valley Planning Commission meeting
Potential impacts include noise, facility size, nighttime lighting and potential heat-exhaust impacts on pedestrians.
The LVPC voted to include stronger language in its review letter to Meredith Keller, Upper Macungie township director of community development, regarding its concerns over the lack of sufficient information in the proposal.
The key section reads: “Given the lack of information in the letter, the commission is unable to reach a conclusion if the application is consistent with FutureLV: The Regional Plan.
"Providing additional information will require a reapplication of this proposal.”
LVPC in its review also said that Air Products should clarify the total projected electrical load at full build-out and demonstrate coordination with PPL to confirm that the existing grid can reliably accommodate the load without degrading service to current residential or commercial users.
Water concerns
Other concerns noted by the planning commission included water usage to cool the data center and subsequent disposal of discharged water.
“A facility like this is water hungry. It exacerbates an issue like that.”LVPC Environment Committee Chairman Steve Repasch
“The Lehigh County Authority recently asked its customers to reduce water consumption due to the drought,” LVPC Environment Committee Chairman Steve Repasch said.
“A facility like this is water hungry. It exacerbates an issue like that.”
Commission member Steve Melnick suggested investigating various options of water to cool data centers.
“There are five ways to provide water to cool data centers, including water from sewer facilities,” Melnick said.
“A number of them don’t use potable water. It’s imperative we put everybody on notice to investigate those options.”
A booming market
Pennsylvania is a booming data center market, especially for Artificial Intelligence, or AI.
Major players such as Amazon (AWS), Iron Mountain, TierPoint, Equinix, Flexential and H5 Data Centers are building and expanding facilities, particularly in the Lehigh Valley, Pittsburgh and near Philadelphia.
The idea is to leverage proximity to major cities, energy resources and existing infrastructure, though the growth sparks debates over power demands and local impact.
Pennsylvania has 102 data centers, with more than 24 additional centers proposed.datacentermap.com and padatacenterproposals.com
Pennsylvania has 102 data centers, according to datacentermap.com, with more than 24 additional centers proposed, according to padatacenterproposals.com.
Among them is the Atlas Industrial Data Center in South Whitehall Township, which would consist of six buildings and an electric substation over its 5.1-million-square-feet property at 2493 N. Cedar Crest Blvd.
In its review letter regarding the Air Products proposal, the LVPC said FutureLV acknowledges that the advancement of technology and increased need for real-time information and data transmission makes infrastructure and connectivity increasingly important.
Data centers are essential to meeting modern digital connectivity needs and demands; however, hyperscale facilities pose unprecedented levels of impact to communities’ utility infrastructure, the review said.
