Residents press for answers as Kewanee data center plan moves forward
Residents questioned Pawel Nowak about his proposal to build a small edge data center at 324 N. Main St. in Kewanee. Concerns include the facility’s electricity use, noise, environmental effects and water consumption, while city officials said they would monitor compliance with the data center ordinance passed earlier this year.
Pawel Nowak attended a Kewanee City Council meeting to respond to residents’ questions about his proposed small data center at a property he owns on North Main Street. The planned edge facility would use about 10 megawatts of electricity and a closed cooling system requiring roughly 200 gallons of water.
Residents raised concerns about power reliability, noise, environmental impacts and effects on the local water supply. Councilman Adam Cernovich noted that the facility could use twice as much electricity as the city currently consumes, while Nowak said Ameren officials had assured him the system could handle the additional load. City officials said they would monitor the operation for compliance with Kewanee’s noise rules and data center ordinance.