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Developer outlines proposed East Bay data center; says closed-loop cooling, phased power buildout planned
Summary
Owner and developer representatives described a plan to convert a 9-acre former Novell campus in East Bay into a small-to-midsize data center campus (approx. 65,000 sq ft footprint) with phased power usage from an initial 5—10 MW toward a potential 30—50 MW campus; developers said the facility will use closed-loop cooling and source power from Provo Power/UMPA but acknowledged questions about long-term city power capacity and water resources.
A developer seeking a data-center overlay for an East Bay industrial property described a phased proposal and answered detailed questions about power, cooling, water use and noise.
"We contemplated the idea of developing this site as a small data center campus," developer Steve Styler said. He said the owner has held the 9-acre site for years and that the project team views the site as suitable because of nearby transmission infrastructure and existing industrial zoning. Styler said the application follows a new overlay process the city created to evaluate where data centers are appropriate within industrial zones.
On scale and footprint, project representatives said the proposed footprint is roughly 65,000 square feet on a 9-acre site and described a two-story program in early materials. The team characterized the buildout as phased: an initial small facility using roughly 5—10 megawatts of power, with campus expansion possible up toward 30—30 megawatts IT load and a campus-level maximum discussed in the presentation as up to 50 megawatts if demand and transmission permit.
The developers stated the facility would use closed-loop (recirculating) cooling rather than evaporative "swamp" cooling and noted that closed-loop approaches limit ongoing water use primarily to domestic needs rather than continuous evaporative consumption. "It is a closed loop system," one representative said, adding that water usage for the cooling loop would be minimal and that any potable (culinary) water needs would be limited to toilets and kitchens.
On backup power, the team said the redundant, on-site backup would be natural-gas generation located near the L-shaped service building. They said Provo Power and UMPA would be the primary wholesale/retail suppliers and that power availability is the central factor driving data-center location.
Residents raised concerns about the potential impact on municipal power supply. One participant noted a hypothetical 50-megawatt buildout could represent a substantial share of the city's current usage; the developer and a commenter agreed Provo is planning for growth and UMPA/Provo Power have staged growth plans, but pricing and exact wholesale arrangements remain to be negotiated. The developer estimated early employment of roughly 20—30 employees for a center of this scale and said the construction proforma estimated approximately $280 million to repurpose and operate the initial buildout.
Noise and visual design were discussed: developers proposed architectural and landscaping measures and projected exterior sound at the property edge around 60—65 decibels, which they said would be below recent ordinance thresholds. They also presented potential sustainability measures including consideration of rooftop solar and battery storage as the campus scales.
What's next: the overlay application is under city review; the developer will continue design refinements, and the project will require planning commission review and city council action if the overlay and future permits are approved.
