Boilermakers Union endorses Project River
The Boilermakers Local 454 union has endorsed "Project River," an $11.3 billion initiative in Bradley County, Tennessee, to build natural gas and biomass power plants intended to power data centers or advanced manufacturing facilities. Despite union support citing economic benefits like increased wages, local residents are protesting the project due to environmental concerns, particularly regarding the biomass plant's impact and noise from a potential data center.
The Boilermakers Local 454 union has officially endorsed Project River, an $11.3 billion endeavor in Bradley County, Tennessee, which aims to construct natural gas and biomass power plants. Lee Lunsford, a representative for the union, stated that the project, which could power data centers or advanced manufacturing facilities, represents "bread and butter" work for their members and will boost local wages.
However, the project faces significant local opposition, with protestors gathering outside the PIE Innovation Center to voice environmental concerns. Residents, including Rick Waldrop, expressed worries about the impact of the biomass plant on the Hiwassee River and the region, as well as potential noise from a future data center, though the inclusion of such a facility has not been officially announced. Timber for the biomass plant would be sourced from within a 250-mile radius, utilizing a closed-loop system for water condensation to cool potential data center infrastructure.
Project River representatives, including those from Azure Energy and Wright Brothers Construction, whose family owns the 850-acre parcel of land, attended a community meeting to address questions. Austin Cantrell, a spokesperson for Project River, highlighted the economic benefits, estimating the project will create jobs paying 54% above the county average and generate $56 million in payroll. Lunsford acknowledged environmental concerns but stressed the inevitability of data center construction.