360063
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Legislature and a regulatory agency will be busy this week weighing demands for large data centers. Business leaders say this digital infrastructure is badly needed, but environmental voices are urging a cautious approach.
“Hyper-scale” data centers, which store and process virtual information like medical records and website content, are popping up across the U.S., with proposals surfacing in Minnesota. A Public Utilities Commission hearing is scheduled for a project in Becker on Friday.
Friday’s hearing could determine whether the company is exempt from a permit for backup generators. The company insists those generators would run minimally and that, in the event of an outage, having them would benefit critical services like hospitals.
Sarah Mooradian, with CURE, a nonprofit focused on rural environmental issues, says there are key considerations for this type of development.
The centers can use roughly a half-million gallons of water each day to cool their systems. Opponents say that would conflict with Minnesota’s emission goals. Tech giant Amazon is behind the Becker project
Business groups want accommodations, noting these centers are critical components of today’s economy.
Comments