San Diego Officials Raise Concerns About Proposed 400-Megawatt NAVWAR Data Center
Manchester Financial Group is exploring a 400-megawatt data center at the Navy’s NAVWAR campus in San Diego’s Midway District as part of a larger redevelopment proposal. Local officials, including Councilmember Marni von Wilpert and Rep. Scott Peters, have criticized the lack of transparency and questioned whether the project fits the site or can be supported by the power grid.
Manchester Financial Group is discussing a potential 400-megawatt data center on roughly 70 acres of federally owned Navy land at the NAVWAR campus in San Diego’s Midway District. The facility would be part of a broader redevelopment that could include new Navy offices, housing, hotels, retail and other uses, but company President and CEO Ted Eldredge said the data center is only one of several concepts under consideration and that no final project has been approved.
San Diego officials said they learned about the data center discussions through news reports after the developer had spoken with the Navy, San Diego Gas & Electric and San Diego Community Power. Councilmember Marni von Wilpert criticized the process as lacking transparency, while Rep. Scott Peters opposed the concept and argued the centrally located property should be used for housing and neighborhood amenities. Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera also raised concerns about the electricity demand, although SDG&E said it would upgrade the grid to accommodate additional demand regardless of the project type.