Valara Data Center Project Faces Scrutiny Over Water Use and Air Permits in Spartanburg…

Valara sought permits for its data center operations in Spartanburg County. Regarding water, the company initially informed Spartanburg County that it required 459,400 gallons per day for cooling and 4,200 gallons for domestic use. However, the company later informed Spartanburg Water officials that the actual projected water demand was between 1.4 and 1.6 million gallons per day. Separately, Valara received a construction permit on September 18 to add five 17-megawatt and six 54-megawatt natural gas turbines to the site. These turbines burn natural gas to generate electricity, with the permit noting that formaldehyde emissions are not continuously monitored.

The project involves a major infrastructure development that requires significant resources from Spartanburg County. The concerns center on whether the company accurately represented its resource needs during the permitting process. The new turbines contribute to the county's power generation capacity, which is comparable to that used by 400,000 homes.