'We're going to have major issues.' Kenilworth residents push back against AI data center under construction - News 12

Residents in Kenilworth, New Jersey, are actively pushing back against the construction of a $1.8 billion artificial intelligence data center by CoreWeave at the Northeast Science and Technology Center (NEST) campus. The project, slated to repurpose an old Merck & Co. building, received approval from the Kenilworth Borough Council but garnered public attention only recently through social media. Local residents, including Brent Krueger and Rosa Joseph from Union County, express significant concerns regarding potential impacts on water quality, flood risk, and a rise in electricity bills, believing the area cannot sustain such a facility. An active petition against the construction has gathered over 1,500 signatures. Kenilworth Mayor Linda Karlovitch, however, maintains that residents should see minimal difference, emphasizing that CoreWeave will cover transmission upgrades and pay sales tax on power, thus not passing costs to residential ratepayers. She also noted the use of a closed-loop cooling system to conserve local water. The Mayor highlighted the project's economic benefits, including over 140 jobs and filling a tax revenue gap left by Merck's departure, with the facility required to create at least 100 jobs as per a 2025 state tax credit. The project is expected to be completed by late 2027, and the Kenilworth planning board is scheduled to discuss the data center on April 28. Separately, state officials have introduced legislation to regulate power sourcing for such facilities, though it had not passed as of April 19.