A massive proposed data center campus in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley has become a major source of debate over electricity costs, grid reliability, and how communities will cope with a surge in power demand.
As energy use continues to climb across the region, the debate has spilled beyond a single development into larger questions of affordability, infrastructure, and whether enough power will be available when demand peaks.
What’s happening?
According to RealClearPennsylvania, the Atlas data center campus would be built in South Whitehall Township across from Parkland High School, covering nearly 5.1 million square feet in six buildings and including a dedicated electric substation to support its operations.
RealClearPennsylvania reported that PPL Electric Utilities expects electricity demand in the area to roughly triple over the next five to seven years while new power generation is not being added quickly enough to keep up…