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Union resident presses township on nearby Kenilworth AI data center; state senator says no nuclear proposal
Summary
A Union resident asked township officials what they know about a proposed AI data center in neighboring Kenilworth and whether it includes nuclear power; State Senator Joe Kryn told the committee he was not aware of any proposal to build nuclear generation at the site and described how some data centers use energy credits.
Wanda Espana, a Union resident who lives in the Five Points area less than half a mile from the proposed Kenilworth data-center site, told the township committee she and neighbors were anxious after recent Kenilworth meetings and asked whether Union officials were invited to a facility tour and what was shown.
"Were any Union Township officials present or invited to this tour?" Espana asked. Mayor Frazier replied, "Yes. I was there. I was invited and I did attend," and said officials had invited CoreWeave to address local concerns but that the company had not yet been able to attend a Union meeting.
Espana asked whether the facilities visited were similar to the CoreWeave proposal and whether any nuclear power facility was planned for the site. "I am not sure," Mayor Frazier said when asked specifically about nuclear power and agreed to seek clarification for residents.
Later in public comment, State Senator Joe Kryn (D-20th District) told the committee he and other elected officials had toured several data centers to better understand community concerns. He said some older facilities the group visited were quiet and powered in part with renewable energy credits. "There is no proposal, no anything to build a nuclear power, anything on the CoreWeave... site that I'm aware of," Kryn said, adding that some operators purchase credits tied to nuclear generation but that he was not aware of new nuclear construction at the Kenilworth site.
Residents voiced broader worries about potential health, environmental and infrastructure impacts and asked whether Union Township had authority to pursue enforcement, injunctive relief or litigation if impacts crossed municipal borders. Espana asked the township to evaluate legal remedies proactively rather than wait for problems to arise.
Mayor Frazier said township officials were listening and would continue communication with developers and neighboring municipalities, and that he would seek to gather and share additional information with residents.
The public-comment exchange concluded without a formal action; committee members did not vote on any directive during the meeting. The committee did, earlier in the agenda, adopt routine resolutions and set several ordinances for future second readings.
