Data center proposed for South Huntingdon: ‘Still in early stages’
TriEnergy Inc. has proposed a $25 million data center in South Huntingdon Township, involving a planned 1 million-square-foot warehouse near Route 31. The project remains in its early stages, lacks state sewage approval, and has drawn strong opposition from residents; the township has adopted setback and screening requirements for data centers.
TriEnergy Inc. applied for a land-use permit in May to develop a $25 million data center in South Huntingdon Township on property owned by Stanton Farm LLC. The proposal calls for converting a 1 million-square-foot warehouse near Route 31 and Interstate 70 into a data center, but developer officials said the project is still in its earliest stages.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has not approved a sewage permit for the project, preventing township officials from reviewing land development plans. Residents voiced strong opposition at a township supervisors meeting, while a newly adopted township ordinance requires data centers to maintain a 500-foot setback from certain woodland property boundaries and use evergreen screening. The site is near Tenaska's 950-megawatt Westmoreland Generating Station, although neither TriEnergy nor Tenaska has confirmed whether the facility would use power from the plant.