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Upper Burrell Data Center

Data centers are energy intensive facilities that contain a large network of computer servers that store, manage, back up, and recover data.

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In January of 2025, Protect PT learned about a proposed data center located in Upper Burrell, PA, at the old Alcoa plant. According to TECfusions, the company responsible, this one data center will consume three gigawatts of electricity—more electricity than produced by solar in the state of Pennsylvania.

Proposed data center site in Upper Burrell, PA

Concerns about Data Centers

01

Water Usage

Upper Burrell gets its water from the Municipal Authority of New Kensington, which comes from the Allegheny River. It is a very small municipal authority that is likely ill-suited to meeting the demands of such a massive data center. 

04

Health Impacts

While currently understudied, it is believed that there are air pollution impacts from data centers, endangering local residents health. Studies have shown a link between data centers and cancer rates.

02

Increased Resident Costs

Data centers use tremendous amounts of electricity, which can drive up costs for local residents, potentially increasing costs by 70%. Similarly, water costs may increase, as data centers use significant amounts of water to cool the facility.

05

Sound and Light Pollution

Data centers are very noisy— they create incessant mechanical sounds, putting wildlife welfare at risk. Further, data center facilities will create additional light pollution in rural areas.

03

UOGD Implications

Because this data center would consume so much electricity, it would place a greater strain on our limited energy resources, encouraging more unconventional oil and gas development. Southwest PA is already feeling the burden of this infrastructure.

Data Centers’ Hidden Costs on Local Water Supplies

"Data centers need to be kept cool to house the thousands of computers that hold all our data... On average, data centers’ traditional cooling methods use 300,000 gallons of water each day. Traditional methods involve using conventional air conditioning equipment, large fan systems, and smaller fans inside the equipment to pull in cooler air and reject warm air [4]. In addition to their high water usage and the chemical pollution caused by air conditioning coils, these methods are the least energy-efficient and increase operational costs, highlighting the need for more sustainable and efficient alternatives [4]."

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Source: Waterkeepers Chesapeake

(Balancing the Cloud: Data Centers’ Hidden Costs on Local Water Supplies)

Health Impacts

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