Keel Outlines Scrubgrass Data Center Plans as Residents Question Plant’s Record
Keel Infrastructure outlined plans for a 1.3 GW data center at the Scrubgrass power plant site in Venango County, Pennsylvania, projecting hundreds of jobs. Residents raised significant concerns regarding coal ash removal, increased truck traffic, noise, and environmental monitoring, also questioning the company's existing environmental compliance issues. The company is engaging with residents and regulators as it proceeds with the project.
Keel Infrastructure, led by executive vice president of operations Alex Brammer, presented plans for a new data center at the 650-acre Scrubgrass power plant site in Clintonville, Venango County, Pennsylvania. The proposed campus aims for up to 1.3 gigawatts of expansion capacity for high-performance computing and AI, with predevelopment and power planning currently underway. Keel projects 591 operating jobs and an average of 2,080 annual construction jobs from 2027 to 2032, with operations starting in 2029, and estimates an average annual compensation of $151,000 for full-operations employees.
During a community meeting at Clintonville Fire Hall, residents pressed Keel representatives with questions about the existing plant's record and the proposed data center's impact. Key concerns included ongoing coal ash removal, existing environmental violations with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, potential truck traffic increases, and noise pollution from both construction and operation. Residents also questioned the adequacy of local government and regulatory agencies' resources to monitor the development, advocating for continuous monitoring of air, water, sound, and light, and requesting transparency in inspection reports and regulatory filings.
Keel addressed some concerns, acknowledging an environmental violation regarding ash removal and stating they are working with the DEP for resolution. The company plans a closed-loop cooling system to reduce water consumption and will install sound barriers, coordinating traffic management with municipal authorities. While considering a conversion from waste coal to natural gas to reduce truck traffic, Keel committed to direct access for community leaders and promised to consider resident requests for pre-construction outdoor speaker-playback testing for noise.