Data Center Signal is tracking 31 clips about Valara data center developments across 1 states, including SC.
Spartanburg County Council approved a preliminary development agreement for the NorthMark and Valara data center under the county’s data center moratorium. The agreement requires reporting and compliance measures covering noise, light, landscaping, water, utility demand and air quality, while allowing accelerated approval reviews.
Spartanburg County leaders gave a first reading to a development agreement for the Valara data center under construction along South Pine Street outside Spartanburg city limits. The proposed agreement would expand county oversight to air, water, noise and lighting impacts, while a previously approved one-year pause on new data centers remains in effect.
The Spartanburg County Council advanced a development agreement for the proposed Valara data center project in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The council’s action moves the project forward, although the available information does not specify final approval or construction details.
The Spartanburg County Council approved the first reading of a development agreement for the Valara/NorthMark Strategies data center project on Pine Street. The proposed agreement adds landscaping, lighting and noise requirements, along with enforcement tools intended to protect nearby residents.
The Spartanburg County Council passed a resolution asking the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services to establish an air quality monitoring station on the city’s east side. The request follows concerns about air pollution from the NorthMark and Valara data center’s 457-megawatt natural gas turbines, though the resolution is not binding on the state agency.
Spartanburg County officials are considering amendments to local zoning rules for future data center projects, including setbacks, buffers, noise controls and limits on where larger facilities can be built. The county’s temporary moratorium remains in place while officials develop permanent regulations, amid resident concerns about the Valara project’s proximity to homes and schools and its potential environmental impacts.
A Spartanburg County judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the classification of the Valara data center as a Minor Land Development. The Southern Environmental Law Center said it plans to appeal, while construction remains underway.
A South Carolina judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Southern Environmental Law Center and nearby residents challenging Spartanburg County’s approval of NorthMark Strategies subsidiary Valara’s data center and adjacent 457-megawatt natural gas plant. The plaintiffs lacked standing and failed to exhaust administrative remedies, but the environmental group plans to appeal while construction continues.
The Southern Environmental Law Center is asking South Carolina’s environmental agency to reopen public comments on Valara’s Spartanburg County data center air permit, arguing updated formaldehyde emissions data was not publicly disclosed. Valara also faces at least two active lawsuits, while Spartanburg County officials are traveling to Loudoun County, Virginia, to study its data center industry and meet with industry representatives.
The Southern Environmental Law Center is challenging South Carolina's air-quality permit for Valara's data center in Spartanburg over revised formaldehyde emissions calculations. The group says the revised information was not available for public review before the permit was approved and is demanding that the comment period be reopened.
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has asked the South Carolina Public Service Commission to reconsider its ruling that certain energy regulations do not apply to data centers that generate their own power. This challenge targets the NorthMark and Valara data center in Spartanburg, which includes a 457-megawatt natural gas power plant. The SELC argues the ruling bypasses oversight for private power plants and sets a concerning precedent.
A legal challenge against a data center project currently under construction in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, is continuing. An environmental group has asked state officials to re-examine a recent decision concerning the data center.
Valara, a data center subsidiary of NorthMark in Spartanburg, South Carolina, initially reported a significantly lower water usage estimate of 459,400 gallons per day to Spartanburg Water. However, updated projections revealed the data center would require between 1.4 million and 1.6 million gallons daily, a figure that took seven months to be publicly corrected by NorthMark. Despite the dramatic increase, Spartanburg Water assured that the local infrastructure can handle the updated demand.
Spartanburg County Council has approved a temporary one-year moratorium on most new data center developments, making it one of several South Carolina counties to enact such a ban. The decision stems from resident and environmental group concerns over rapid growth, electricity demand, and the need for more regulation. Projects with existing permits, like the Valara data center, are not impacted.
Spartanburg County leaders are questioning the pollution monitoring protocols for the Valara data center, a nearly $3 billion project under construction. Concerns focus on formaldehyde emissions from natural gas turbines and the accuracy of monitoring methods. Simultaneously, the County Council is considering a one-year moratorium on new data center projects, and a lawsuit seeking to halt the Valara project is currently under judicial review.
State regulators in South Carolina have approved a permit for NorthMark and Valara to expand their Spartanburg data center to 457 megawatts, despite significant environmental concerns from local residents. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has criticized the permit and is representing residents in an ongoing lawsuit against Spartanburg County regarding the land development permits for the project. The lawsuit argues the county improperly approved the project as minor developments, bypassing public input.
A judge heard arguments in court regarding lawsuits and an injunction to pause construction of the Valara data center in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Key points of contention included whether the project constitutes a major or minor land development and the potential harms faced by nearby residents. A decision is expected in weeks, but construction at the site continues.
An environmental group, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), has filed a lawsuit against Spartanburg County and data center developer Valara. The lawsuit challenges the county's classification of a 457-megawatt data center as a 'minor' land use development, which allowed it to bypass public input. A judge is hearing arguments on motions to dismiss and an injunction to halt construction.
A court hearing was held in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, regarding the Valara data center, addressing lawsuits against its developers and a motion for an injunction to pause construction. The primary arguments revolved around whether the project constitutes a 'minor' or 'major' land development under county ordinances, and the transparency of its scope. The judge deferred a decision on the motions, allowing construction to continue.
A data center project by NorthMark Strategies and Valara in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is under construction and has already drawn criticism from residents over environmental impacts and high water usage. The article investigates the data center's ties to British financier Peter de Putron and his company, Dorilton Capital Management, which acquired the Williams Formula One racing team.