Face the Facts: State Rep. Nicole Karides-Ditria calls for lawmakers to take another look at state's data center law
A proposed 100-megawatt data center on Lopus Road in Beacon Falls has prompted concerns about water use, electrical-grid impacts, environmental effects, tax incentives and promised jobs. State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria is calling for lawmakers to revisit Connecticut's 2021 data center law and impose stronger regulations and safeguards before the project moves forward.
A proposed data center on a 42-acre parcel along Lopus Road in Beacon Falls has renewed debate over Connecticut's approach to large-scale facilities. The current proposal calls for a 100-megawatt center, more than triple the size of a 32-megawatt proposal considered in 2022, but the developer and final project details remain unclear.
State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, a Republican from Seymour and ranking member of the Public Health Committee, said residents need studies addressing water demand, potential effects on the Naugatuck River, runoff, backup power and strain on the electrical grid. She also questioned whether tax incentives would produce sufficient jobs and local revenue, citing a separate Connecticut project that reportedly received about $17 million in tax breaks while creating five jobs.
Klarides-Ditria said Connecticut should reconsider its bipartisan 2021 data center law because lawmakers did not anticipate the rise of mega-data centers. She called for additional regulations, checks and balances, and agreements guaranteeing communities an appropriate share of tax revenue and employment benefits.