Controversial Central WA gas power plant for data centers canceled amid activist backlash
A plan by VoltaGrid to build a gas power plant in Quincy, Washington, intended to supply power to a Vantage data center, has been canceled. The withdrawal followed significant opposition from environmental groups, who submitted hundreds of comments to the Washington Department of Ecology.
A controversial proposal by Texas-based energy company VoltaGrid to construct a 14-gas-generator power plant in Quincy, Washington, has been canceled following widespread activist backlash. The facility, planned for land owned by the Grant County Public Utility District, was intended to meet the growing power demands of the nearby Vantage data center campus.
The project encountered its primary hurdle when seeking an "air quality notice of construction permit" from Washington’s Department of Ecology. Environmental advocacy groups, including Washington AI Resistance, the Oil & Gas Action Network, and Columbia Riverkeeper, organized a substantial opposition campaign. They submitted over 500 public comments to the Ecology Department, opposing the permit application.
VoltaGrid withdrew its permit application the day after the comments were delivered, and Chuck Allen of the Grant County Public Utility District confirmed the project's cancellation, stating the on-site power generation was "no longer needed for that location." This incident aligns with a broader trend of community and environmental pushback against energy infrastructure tied to the national data center expansion, particularly amid concerns about artificial intelligence's environmental footprint.