Here’s how a Lehigh Valley town could get $50 million if it approves updated data center plans
Slate Belt Holdings submitted two updated designs for a proposed hyperscale data center campus in Upper Mount Bethel Township and outlined a nonbinding community benefits agreement worth up to $50 million. The project could include up to 2 gigawatts of electrical capacity, with payments tied to approvals, occupancy and power milestones, while the township prepares to hear a challenge to its data center zoning regulations.
Slate Belt Holdings, a partnership between River Pointe Logistics and Talen Energy, submitted two alternative site plans for the proposed Slate Belt Technology Campus in Upper Mount Bethel Township. The designs cover about 900 acres and range from 29 smaller buildings totaling 3.5 million square feet to six larger buildings totaling nearly 1.5 million square feet. The developers are targeting up to 2 gigawatts of electrical capacity, with FirstEnergy currently contracted to provide half of the desired load and additional service expected through grid expansion and onsite generation.
The developers also proposed a nonbinding community benefits agreement that could provide the township with up to $50 million. Payments would be tied to finalizing the agreement, land-development approvals, building occupancy and incremental electrical-capacity milestones, with full payment projected by 2036. The plans include closed-loop cooling and prohibit reliance on groundwater or Delaware River water, while Upper Mount Bethel supervisors continue considering how to negotiate the agreement and prepare for a zoning challenge hearing.