Data center developer applies for power plant on Archbald’s Eynon Jermyn Road

Data center developer Jim Marzolino, through his newly registered Essential Energy LLC, has submitted a zoning permit application to construct a 491,811-square-foot natural gas power plant in Archbald, Pennsylvania. The proposed 17-acre site on Eynon Jermyn Road is less than 1,000 feet from Staback Park and half a mile from Valley View Intermediate School, raising significant concerns among residents and Archbald Borough Council members. The power plant is intended as a conditional use within the borough's general industrial zoning district, requiring a public hearing and council vote. This application comes amid existing controversy over Marzolino's numerous data center proposals in the area, including six campuses with 51 individual data centers planned along Eynon Jermyn Road and Business Route 6, which have already drawn criticism for their proximity to residential areas, parks, and schools. Council President Louis Rapoch voiced strong opposition, stating the borough does not want the power plant or the data centers, and views the developers as speculators. Environmental advocates, including Jeff Smith, president of Citizens for a Healthy Jessup and chairman of the Sierra Club's Pennsylvania chapter, condemned the proposal, citing potential cumulative impacts from the power plant and thousands of backup diesel generators at data center campuses. The article also details Marzolino's other projects, such as Project Gravity in Archbald, which plans seven data centers and involves displacing mobile home park residents. A previous data center project in Blakely, co-developed with Alpesh "Al" Patel, was withdrawn due to community pushback. Furthermore, Marzolino's Dickson City Development LLC has filed a land use appeal against Dickson City's zoning ordinance after officials adopted standards to prevent his proposed data centers there, highlighting ongoing legal battles over data center development in the region.