Future of Ransom Twp. property uncertain as Carbon County developer says 'no plans' for data center campus
A developer who purchased over 500 acres in Ransom Twp., Pennsylvania, for a potential data center campus now states there are "no plans" for the facility, citing local opposition and a zoning application denial for another nearby project. Meanwhile, a hydroelectric facility is being proposed for part of the same property, adding uncertainty to its future use. An appeal of the zoning denial is ongoing.
Sinha Shatrughan, a White Haven developer, has indicated that plans for a data center campus on more than 500 acres in Ransom Twp., Pennsylvania, are currently on hold, stating he has "no plans" for the land. Shatrughan, whose name is associated with Mudiita Land Venture LLC which purchased the property for $2.4 million, cited the denial of a data center zoning overlay requested by Scranton Materials LLC for a nearby 251-acre property as a contributing factor. Residents have actively opposed data center proposals across the region, including public hearings for Scranton Materials LLC's proposed six-building campus.
The Ransom Twp. supervisors denied Scranton Materials LLC's zoning application after attorney Laura McGarry highlighted procedural flaws. Scranton Materials LLC has appealed this decision, with Lackawanna County Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle recently ruling that a Scranton resident, Susan Magnotta, has standing in the appeal despite not being a township resident.
Separately, part of the Mudiita property might be used for a hydroelectric facility. Renewable Energy Aggregators Inc. submitted plans for the Old Forge Pumped Storage Project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shortly before Mudiita's land purchase. Shatrughan claims he was unaware of this proposal. Websites associated with the Mudiita Group, which previously advertised a "next-gen, all-electric data center campus" in Lackawanna County, are now offline.