Interest expressed in data center by Hunlock Twp. power plant

Castleton Commodities International LLC is exploring the development of a small data center adjacent to its Hunlock Creek Energy Center in Hunlock Township, Luzerne County. Dan Reese, Luzerne County Planning & Zoning Director, confirmed the company's interest during a recent planning commission meeting. The proposed data center would leverage the 169-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant's existing infrastructure and access to natural gas. However, Castleton's plans are contingent on the county's enactment of a new zoning ordinance amendment. This amendment, currently under review by the Luzerne County Planning Commission, aims to restrict data centers to specific zoning districts within 20 municipalities that fall under the county's zoning authority. It would also mandate zoning board approval for such projects. The planning commission introduced the amendment in February and continued its review on Thursday. Following a recommendation from the planning commission, the Luzerne County Council will vote on the proposed zoning ordinance. The county's planning department initiated the zoning proposal to proactively address the increasing demand for data centers driven by artificial intelligence and cloud services. Notably, Newport Township is proceeding to adopt its own zoning plan, which may reduce the number of municipalities under the county's direct zoning ordinance to 19.