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Student urges Princeton to consider moratorium on hyperscale data centers amid energy and water concerns
Summary
A Princeton University student and Pinelands Alliance intern urged the council to pay attention to hyperscale data centers, citing estimates (for a nearby Sentinel project) of roughly 70 megawatts of electricity demand and concerns about water, coolant chemicals, generator emissions and oversight.
During the public comment period, Ari Adie, a rising junior at Princeton University who said he has worked with the Pinelands Alliance, urged council attention to hyperscale data centers and urged proactive municipal discussion, including consideration of temporary moratoria. He cited estimates that a Sentinel data center at the Princeton Nurseries site in nearby South Brunswick could draw about 70 megawatts of electricity — which he said is approximately the annual household electricity consumption of Princeton, South Brunswick and Trenton combined — and raised additional concerns about water use, backup-generator emissions and noise.
Adie noted that more than 40 New Jersey municipalities have taken some action on data centers (temporary bans, moratoria or initial studies) and suggested Princeton consider similar preventive measures. "Because of the energy, water, and oversight that's needed for these hyper scale data centers...there's really a need for a much greater public attention," he said. The council received the comment; no council action was taken at the meeting.
Provenance: topicintro — SEG 1127 (public comment start), topicfinish — SEG 1189 (end of Ari's remarks).
