Committee hears water, power and on-site generation concerns for data centers
Members and guests told the advisory committee that large data centers can require high power (tens to hundreds of megawatts), substantial water for closed-loop systems (speaker cited 100,000200,000 gallons per day for one facility), and may rely on on-site generation (diesel or natural-gas turbines) with noise and environmental impacts; several members said those factors support parcel-specific controls.
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Speakers at the meeting emphasized utilities as a core siting concern for data centers. County staff and Rosemary Bates (Gallatin) discussed water-use figures and electricity contracts: Bates said Metas Gallatin site uses a closed-loop system and "uses about anywhere from a 100,000 to 200,000 gallons of water a day," and that Meta signed long-term electricity commitments coordinated with TVA. County staff noted that a developers failure to secure a power contract has left a local colocation building empty for years.
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