Henry County tables decision on rezoning for proposed data center
Officials in Henry County have postponed a vote on rezoning county land for a proposed large data center just outside of Knightstown. As Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Thomas Ouellette reports, residents turned out a large crowd to talk about concerns they have about the possible construction.
The data center would take up more than 500 acres and be located close to State Road 109 and I-70.
At the Henry County Planning Commission meeting Thursday night, Corey Murphy, president of the New Castle-Henry County Economic Development Corporation, held up a novelty push-button Snoopy phone to use as a metaphor for resisting change.
“Our county has two choices. Stay with the limited, no-growth opportunities that this beautiful, antique Snoopy phone represents.” Murphy said. “Or we can compete in the modern digital age. The choice is clear for our kids and grandkids. I recommend approval.”
Individuals speaking against the proposal pointed to the drastic impacts that data centers can have on the environment. One of the main concerns attendees brought up is the facilities use of fresh water for cooling. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute reports a large data center can go though as much as 5 million gallons per day.
Read More: AI data centers threaten to derail climate progress in Indiana
Chris King is a developer with Surge Development LLC. He said the company has agreed to follow multiple restrictions minimizing any noticeable impact that the facility would have on things like water access and strain on the power grid.
“We’re bringing our own power you know we’ve been focused on locating next to a natural gas pipeline where we have the ability to do generation on site,” he said.
Other commitments made by Surge LLC include generating significant tax revenue for local schools and public safety efforts in Henry County.
Some residents aren’t so sure the facility will be as discreet as the developers claim. The proposed data center would touch land owned by Kiley Blalock’s family.
“Data centers right now with the current technology we have, they will always be a negative impact on the community with their water usage, electrical use,” said Blalock. “At its current standing I don’t see them as a benefit to any community.”
Read More: Google backs down from proposed data center after months of community pushback
A specific company or user for the data center has not been selected yet.
Surge LLC had previously attempted to build a data center in Hancock County, but withdrew their application back in May.
The Henry County Planning Commission postponed the vote for about a month to get more information.
Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer. Contact him at thomas.ouellette@bsu.edu
