Vineland planning board approves 2nd phase of 300-megawatt data center plan

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The city of Vineland, New Jersey, has approved a site plan that paves the way for a 300-megawatt data center to generate its own energy using fuel cells, and to store liquefied natural gas, or LNG.

The project, with the first phase already approved and under construction, is being developed by DataOne for the Nebius Group to support artificial intelligence infrastructure as part of a $17 billion deal with Microsoft.

During a six-hour hearing at a local theater attended by a couple hundred people, residents voiced concerns about LNG safety, carbon emissions and water usage. Dozens of residents appealed to the board to vote against the proposal, arguing there are too many unanswered questions to move forward. During the public comment period, nobody spoke in favor of the plan.

“This isn’t something that needs to be rushed, because Vineland residents, win or lose, we’re not going anywhere. We’re stuck with the success or failure of the data center,” said resident Eric Rodriguez during public comment. “Vote no. There’s a lot of questions, and a lot of answers we’re still waiting on.”

Their pleas were not enough to sway members of the Vineland Planning Board in their favor. As it neared midnight, the board approved the proposal in a vote of 8-1, prompting boos from the audience.

Residents said they felt blindsided by the plan, which has been amended several times. The owner of the property originally expressed interest in building a golf course on the site before switching gears.

Opinions that DataOne hasn’t been transparent were enough to move board member John Casadia to vote against the measure. He said there needs to be a “thorough investigation” of the potential environmental impacts before the project can move forward. But his peers argued the plan, which requires no variance relief, is permitted under local zoning laws and should be approved.

Sustain SJ, a grassroots group of residents advocating against the data center’s development, called the decision “irresponsible.”

“To say that this site has approved zoning, while ignoring the flawed designs and potential risks to public safety and health, either means they are being wilfully ignorant or that they don’t understand everything that was presented to them,” said Nichole Gardner, the group’s co-chair. “It is truly unfortunate that our local government officials have made the decision to allow a single corporation free reign over our resources.”

Questions raised over new energy plan

DataOne’s site plan makes way for the facility to generate the majority of its energy on site, utilizing natural gas accessed through an already-existing pipeline operated by South Jersey Gas that runs from the facility. The data center would house a 1.5-million gallon LNG storage tank on site in the event access to the natural gas pipeline is interrupted.

The data center would be powered with Bloom Energy fuel cells, which turn natural gas into electricity through an electrochemical reaction without releasing high amounts of air pollutants like nitrous oxides and sulfur oxides.

DataOne’s plan to generate its own energy would reduce its strain on the electrical grid, and prevent ratepayers’ electric bills from increasing. However, it’s estimated that the Bloom Energy units would release more than 2 billion pounds of climate-warming carbon dioxide a year.

Residents also expressed concerns about the scale of the Bloom Energy project, which would be the company’s largest single-site fuel cell project to date. The company’s current largest fuel cell project is an 80-megawatt installation in South Korea.

It’s not clear which additional approvals DataOne needs to operate the energy plan, but EarthJustice attorney Casandia Bellevue said she believes the developers must apply for a pre-construction permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, as well as a certificate of operation from the state.

Residents are also concerned about the water use that’s required to cool the facility and its servers to prevent overheating. The data center would use more than 400 fans for cooling, and during particularly hot days, a misting spray would be utilized to provide further cooling.

Though part of DataOne’s plan involves reusing water, the water from the misting spray would evaporate. The developers estimate the project would require about 8 million gallons of water a year on average, drawn from the city’s water supply. Vineland’s city water provider serves residents and businesses with more than 3 billion gallons of water per year.

Bellevue said additional environmental studies should be conducted to determine potential impacts.

“What happens to that water once they use it? Do they have to dispose of it at a certain point, and if they do dispose of it, what’s going to be in that water?” she said. “Will there be hazardous chemicals? Will there be things that constitute a danger to the groundwater or municipal water system?”

Following the vote, DataOne released a statement promising to continue to engage with the public.

“We’re grateful to the Planning Board for its careful review and to all the residents who took part,” a spokesperson said in an email to WHYY News. “We take our responsibility to be good neighbors seriously and will continue to engage with the Vineland community as we complete construction and operate at full capacity later this year.”