Energy Secretary Chris Wright talks data center backlash, data center energy costs and community choice
Energy Secretary Chris Wright addressed concerns that proposed data centers could raise electricity prices, saying developers should provide additional power generation and communities should have a choice. In Forward Township, Butler County, residents are opposing a proposed facility on former farmland, while township officials say state law limits their ability to reject data center development outright.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said communities should work directly with data center developers to secure lower electricity prices and other benefits. He cited the Trump administration's ratepayer protection pledge, under which developers would be expected to fund or build more generation than their facilities consume, and noted that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has adopted similar rules.
The discussion came during Wright's visit to western Pennsylvania and included the proposed data center in Forward Township, where the township has no zoning ordinance. Board of Supervisors Chair Susan Oliver-Stough said state law requires municipalities to provide space for businesses and prevents the township from simply banning data centers, although proposals must comply with applicable local, state and federal requirements. Residents have voiced opposition at a recent planning commission meeting, citing concerns about the project's impact on their community and electricity costs.