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Residents cite grid emergencies and generator risks in data center debate
Summary
Multiple public commenters warned that data centers have used backup generation during PJM emergencies and that such operations can spike emissions and strain the grid; commissioners moved to restrict generator market participation and require sound-attenuated enclosures and cumulative testing limits.
Residents and commissioners raised grid reliability and generator-safety concerns during the Planning Commission's review of the draft data center ordinance.
A resident who works in the region recounted recent grid emergency events and said data centers "fired up their backup generators and ran off backup generators," adding that regulators had temporarily waived emissions limits during one event: "they waived all the emissions, limitations, the daily limitations for emissions, and go full max." That testimony framed later ordinance language prohibiting data centers from participating in energy markets and limiting on-site generation operations.
Staff described proposed generator controls in the draft: generators must use sound‑attenuated enclosures, testing would be limited in time and hours, and operators must give 48 hours’ notice. Commissioners and public commenters pushed staff to add a cumulative annual cap; one resident said a 100-hour-per-year cap had been discussed in prior drafts and should be reintroduced.
Commissioners requested staff reconcile the draft’s testing limits and to confirm a cumulative annual testing cap in the final recommended language.
