Data Centers and Physical Health: Limited Research Available
A data center is under construction at the former Homer City Generating Station in Center Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania. A recent analysis by George Mason University highlighted potential health and environmental impacts of data centers, including noise pollution and high energy and water consumption, while the Data Center Coalition emphasized their essential nature and economic benefits. Pennsylvania's legislative response to regulating data centers remains largely piecemeal.
Data center construction is proceeding at the former Homer City Generating Station in Center Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, transforming the site of the state's largest coal-burning power plant into a natural gas-powered data center campus. This development comes as Pennsylvania faces a significant increase in proposed data center projects, with an additional 80 facilities potentially doubling the current 71 active sites, prompting growing concerns among residents about energy prices and water consumption.
Neha Gour, a PhD candidate at George Mason University, and her colleagues published an analysis in February focusing on Virginia's